I Loved You Once in Silence

I loved you once in silence

And mis'ry was all I knew.

Trying so to keep my love from showing,

All the while not knowing you loved me too.

Yes, loved me in lonesome silence;

Your heart filled with dark despair.

Thinking love would flame in you forever,

And I'd never, never know the flame was there.

Then one day we cast away our secret longing;

The raging tide we held inside would hold no more.

The silence at last was broken!

We flung wide our prison door.

Ev'ry joyous word of love was spoken.

And now there's twice as much grief,

Twice the strain for us;

Twice the despair,

Twice the pain for us

As we had known before.

And after all had been said,

Here we are, my love,

Silent once more,

And not far, my love,

From where we were before.