Girl in the Middle: The Backstory
Every song has a story. "Passed on Through" was written from a long-haul flight.
FROM A PLANE TO A COUNTRY SONG
I have written and professionally produced several songs (leavingmeinpieces.com, goingbrokesavingmoney.com, and onebootoff.com).
My latest song is titled, "Girl in the Middle." For anyone who has flown a long-haul flight, the discomfort of modern airplane seats, and the other inconveniences of flying, will test one's patience.
This song is the compilation of two different flights, one was across the United States and the other was to Africa. The mission trip to Africa took about 48 hours from the time we left our home to the time we arrived at the home of a missionary family in the country of Eswatini. It took three flights, two of which were back-to-back overnight flights from Phoenix to London and London to Johannesburg, South Africa.
The girl in the middle was, of course, my precious wife. Traveling that long allowed us to talk a lot about our many amazing adventures.
I hope you enjoy it.
~ Dr. Philip William Calvert
"Girl in the Middle" official Lyrics
Philip William Calvert
© 2023 - 2026
*Verse 1*
Another trip, another flight
Another long and sleepless night
Another seat I’ve got to fight.
Away we go, up in the air
Out the oval window I stare
Too many hours we’ll be up here.
Cramped seats in cabin main
Paper-thin cushions, oh the pain
Fighting back tears, going insane.
Then she caught my eye, the girl in the middle
Planned to speak briefly, just a little
Too uncomfortable, with the seat I fiddle.
*Chorus*
The girl in the middle
With auburn hair and hazel eyes
Her bright smile lit up the darkened sky
Smart and witty, not a bit shy
The girl in the middle
Yeah, she caught me by surprise
The girl in the middle
With auburn hair and hazel eyes
*Verse 2*
About two hours in, I gave her a grin
She smiled sweetly, I leaned on in
A conversation I might just win
We started to talk, four hours to go
She paused to think, took it slow
Then laughed out loud, her face aglow
We talked Zeppelin, Seinfeld too
Ecuador and Peru like old friends do
Time sped up, man, it flew
*Chorus*
The girl in the middle
With auburn hair and hazel eyes
Her bright smile lit up the darkened sky
Smart and witty, not a bit shy
The girl in the middle
Yeah, she caught me by surprise
The girl in the middle
With auburn hair and hazel eyes.
*Bridge*
We laughed and joked
At the world we poked
Wide awake, yeah, we were stoked
We talked ‘bout life, we talked ‘bout pain
Dreams and losses, love and gain
Her sharp wit cut like drivin’ rain.
*Final Chorus*
The girl in the middle
With auburn hair and hazel eyes
Her bright smile lit up the darkened sky
Now she’s just a sweet goodbye
The girl in the middle
Like a song that fades too soon
The girl in the middle
She made my day and my afternoon.
*Outro*
Six-hour flight felt like a song
Thought it’d drag, but not for long
I turned around… she was gone
The girl in the middle
With auburn hair and hazel eyes
Oh, how she still lives on…
She made my day and my afternoon