I recall the first time you caught me dining alone

At a restaurant on the third floor

You sat down across from me with a bottle of wine

Shook my hand and started to pour

Then opened the window to the music below

A theater under the stars

We shared our life stories and a view of the stage

Falling in love from afar

Though it feels like they've played out

The same act a million times

A routine struggling just to keep

From falling asleep reciting their lines

You say this is the way we're meant

To enjoy the opera

At a safe distance

We've met at this table now ten years in a row

To see the same opera performed

Recreating the scene down to the slightest detail

The night our tradition was born

Attendance is low but still the show must go on

The participants gossip offstage

The waiter assures us that the wine is the same

I guess it gets bitter with age

Though it feels like we've played out

The same act a million times

A routine struggling just to keep

From falling asleep reciting our lines

Still it makes me happy

I love you at a safe distance

I'll always love you at a safe distance