Remember This Day
Remember this day, over clear Croatian skies
When you held a world of love in your eyes
On a boat bound for nowhere, on a crystal-clear sea
And a union that’s destined, forever to be
With family and friends, from near and from far
Gathered around you, like light from a star
We all stand together, and together we say
For the rest of your lives, you must remember this day
Chorus
So hold tight your hands and remember with pride
The joy that you brought, and the lives that you tied
Though times may get tough and the sky sometimes grey
You’ll always get through, if you remember this day
Love’s not just a word, or this moment we see
It’s the heart of the family, the root of its tree
It’s the thoughts left unspoken, the time that will pass
The future unplanned and the lines that we cast
When you’re far away, never think you’re alone
For when you know love, you are always at home
From those that all around you and those up above
We share in your joy, we share in your love
When the candles flickers, at the end of the play
Remember with sweetness, how you’re feeling this day
THE STORY BEHIND THE SONG
I wrote and performed this song for the wedding of my stepdaughter. It was celebrated in Mlini where she came every summer for most of her life. She walked down the steps from her grandmother’s house with her father and bridesmaids. The whole village turned out to watch the procession make their way to The Karaka, a replica of a sixteenth-century ship. I played the wedding march on guitar as they boarded the boat.
We sailed slowly along the coast and anchored just off Dubrovnik old town where the wedding ceremony took place. The older I get, the more emotional I become, so I knew singing this song might be a problem. While I sang, I stared directly at the sea as I knew if I looked up and saw anyone crying, I would burst into tears and be unable to continue. It was just as well, because as I strummed the final chord and looked up, the bridegroom, along with half the audience, was in tears.