She had the window and I had the aisle
She looked 25 but she was shakin' like a child when we took off
I looked over and clutched in her hands
There was a cactus in a coffee can
She was holdin' that thing like it was all she had
She smiled at me but I could tell she was sad
Somewhere over Denver I asked her her name
She said, "Elena," then told me she came from Santa Fe
She ordered a drink and a wall came down
Yeah she started talkin' and pain poured out
She told me a story I'll never forget
She had me in tears when she looked at me and said
"My mama's first love was crack
She made her livin' lyin' on her back
She gave me away on the day that I was born"
She said, "The last 10 years I've spent trackin' her down
It just don't seem fair that when I finally found her she was almost gone
We had two weeks together to laugh and to cry
Two weeks to say hello and goodbye
She gave me this little cactus, said it's kinda like me,
It'll hurt you to hold it but it blooms every spring
Now I'm on my way back to New Mexico
Was gonna scatter her ashes where the desert winds blow
But I came up with a better plan
Gonna keep 'em in the bottom of this coffee can
My mama was a tortured soul
But I still love her even though
She gave me away on the day that I was born"
The plane touched down and we both got off
I took her hand, said, "sorry for your loss."
She said, "thanks for listenin', for bein' here
"I've been wantin' to talk about her for so many years"
Now I'll probably never see Elena again
But we met as strangers and parted as friends
As we waved goodbye I was sure of one thing
There'll be a flower on that cactus come next spring
She looked 25 but she was shakin' like a child when we took off
I looked over and clutched in her hands
There was a cactus in a coffee can
She was holdin' that thing like it was all she had
She smiled at me but I could tell she was sad
Somewhere over Denver I asked her her name
She said, "Elena," then told me she came from Santa Fe
She ordered a drink and a wall came down
Yeah she started talkin' and pain poured out
She told me a story I'll never forget
She had me in tears when she looked at me and said
"My mama's first love was crack
She made her livin' lyin' on her back
She gave me away on the day that I was born"
She said, "The last 10 years I've spent trackin' her down
It just don't seem fair that when I finally found her she was almost gone
We had two weeks together to laugh and to cry
Two weeks to say hello and goodbye
She gave me this little cactus, said it's kinda like me,
It'll hurt you to hold it but it blooms every spring
Now I'm on my way back to New Mexico
Was gonna scatter her ashes where the desert winds blow
But I came up with a better plan
Gonna keep 'em in the bottom of this coffee can
My mama was a tortured soul
But I still love her even though
She gave me away on the day that I was born"
The plane touched down and we both got off
I took her hand, said, "sorry for your loss."
She said, "thanks for listenin', for bein' here
"I've been wantin' to talk about her for so many years"
Now I'll probably never see Elena again
But we met as strangers and parted as friends
As we waved goodbye I was sure of one thing
There'll be a flower on that cactus come next spring