Audra McDonald - I'll Be Here lyrics

We met, of all places, in front of Gristedes
Some freakishly cold winter's day
I had on several unflattering layers of wool
He slipped on the ice with
His grocery bags full
So I rescued some Froot Loops
He dropped by the curb
And he made some remark that
My smile was superb
And I thought that was sweet
And I started to go
And he said, "Hey, whatcha doing tomorrow?

Because I'll be here
At the corner of Bleecker and Mercer
Tomorrow at 7 if you want to meet up
I'll be waiting right here
And in case there are two
Fellas waiting for you my name's John"
He waved, and then he was gone
Needless to say
I went back there to meet him
Mostly to see if he'd show, and there he was
Out in the cold with his jacket pulled tight
He took me to dinner and kissed me goodnight
The next week we went to this terrible play
And the week after that drank
Hot chocolate all day and suddenly
Eight or nine months had flown by
When he said, "Hey
Whatcha doing the rest of your life?

Because I'll be here right beside you
As long as you want me to be
There's no question
There is nothing I've wanted so
Much in my life this might sound immature
But, I'm totally sure you're the one"
And we had just begun

We got hitched in September
Our favorite month
With a rock band that played
In this old synagogue
And we bought an apartment
On West 17th Street
And talked about children and getting a dog

Our first anniversary came in a flash
And we promised to take the day off
He had to stop into his office that morning
And so
I went walking uptown to this bakery I know
When I heard on the street what
I thought was a joke
'Til I noticed the sirens and
Saw all the smoke
So I'm running back home with
This feeling of dread
To the voicemail he left with
The last words he said

I'm sorry I don't mean to ruin your evening
By bringing up all of this stuff
You're probably wondering why I
Even called you tonight
Well, today something happened that
Spooked me alright
I saw this storm cloud of papers
Fall down from the sky
And I thought of that day
And I started to cry
When as sure as I breathe I
Heard John clear as day saying, "Hey
You're allowed to move on it's okay

Because I'll be here
Even if you decide to get
Rid of my favorite sweater
Even if you go out on my birthday this year
Instead of staying at home
Letting all of life's moments pass by
You don't have to cry

Because I'll be here
When you start going back to the
Places we went to together
When you take off my ring
And you let yourself smile
When you meet some handsome
And patient and true
When he says that he wants
To be married to you
When you call him one night
And he meets you downtown
And you finally answer him 'Yes' "

Yes, Jason, I will marry you
I will give you my heart
It has taken so long, but I'm ready to start
Right now
John's whispering "Congrats" in my ear
Cause, I finally let myself tell you
That I will be here