Disclaimer: I don't own Sam, Frodo, or anyone else. They belong to the children of Professor Tolkien. I don't own the song either, it belongs to Def Leppard (I wish I owned them, or at least Rick Allen! He just turned 41 yesterday, so happy birthday to him! But now he's the same age as my dad, so that's bad!) Now on with the story!
Long Long Way To Go
You held my hand and then you slipped away,
And I may never see your face again.
So tell me how to fill the emptiness inside,
Without love, what is life?
"Goodbye, Sam, my dearest friend." Sam looks on as his best friend steps from his embrace and walks away, boarding the ship that will take him across the sea. He will never forget what his heart felt like when he found out Frodo was leaving, it was like a big hole had been torn into his chest. He didn't know what he would do now without Frodo, he'd always been there before and it seemed wrong now that he would leave.
And anyone who knew us both could see,
We always were the better part of me.
I never wanted to be this free,
And all this pain, does it go away?
Frodo was always there when Sam needed him, and more importantly, Sam was there when Frodo needed him. Sam would never admit being a hero, but Frodo knew he could never have made it up that mountain without him. He couldn't have done a lot of things without him. Sam was right beside Frodo through thick and thin, and now that Sam was alone he didn't know what to do.
Then every time I turn around,
And you're nowhere to be found I know
I've got a long, long way to go,
Before I can say goodbye to you.
Oh, I've got a long, long way to go,
Before I can say goodbye to all I ever knew,
To you, to you.
It was just too horrible to be real. Sam thought that it was only a terrible nightmare, and at any moment he would wake up and find out that Frodo was just in the next room, sound asleep. Oh how he wished that it was just a dream. But in his heart he knew that his companion was gone. It would just take a while for him to realize that the person he cared most for had left, and nothing would ever be the same without him.
From memory there is no hiding place,
Turn on the TV and I see you there.
In every crowd there's always someone with your face,
Everywhere, tryin' not to care.
Frodo was everywhere. All of his belongings, the book he left to Sam, his portrait over the fireplace, they all served as reminders that Frodo once lived there, and it seemed like he'd just gone into town and would be back at any moment. Sam hadn't changed anything, he left all of his friend's possessions exactly as they were when he left, as though packing them away would signify that he was never coming back. Memories were everywhere, and if memories were all he had of Frodo, then Sam was glad to have them.
Then every time I turn around,
And you're nowhere to be found I know
I've got a long, long way to go,
Before I can say goodbye to you.
Oh, I've got a long, long way to go
Before I can say goodbye to all I ever knew.
Sam had still not accepted that Frodo really was gone for good. He felt that the vast, aching hole where his heart used to be would never heal. He couldn't stand to be around Merry or Pippin anymore, they just reminded him too much of what he had lost. They tried to make him feel better, but nothing could make a difference. Frodo had left the Shire and had taken a piece of Sam with him. Yet he still refused to believe that they would never see each other again. He still couldn't say goodbye.
To you I wish you everything,
And all the best that life can bring.
I only hope you think of me sometimes.
Frodo was on his mind every hour of the day, and in his dreams at night. Sam thought of him and hoped that Frodo was thinking of him, too. He hoped that wherever Frodo was, he was happy. Sam could not bear the thought that his if dearest friend was unhappy, he couldn't be there to comfort him. He wondered if his friend thought of him. Thinking of his friend made the pain almost unbearable, but it was worth the aching in his heart to remember the smile on Frodo's face. He knows he will see that face again.
Oh, and even though I feel the pain,
I know that I will love again.
The time will come, oh,
And I'll move on.
They tell him that it's foolish to dwell on the past. Everyone thinks he's crazy and tells him to move on, but he can't forget, and he doesn't really want to. He knows in his heart that he and Frodo will be reunited, in this world or in another. They tell him he should stop dreaming and get ahold of his life. But his dreams are the only place that he finds peace with his friend. The pain in his broken heart never ceases, but it will when they meet again. He has never said goodbye, because he knows that it wasn't really 'goodbye', it was just a 'see you later'.
I've got a long, long way to go,
Before I can say goodbye to you.
Oh, I've got a long, long way to go,
Before I can say goodbye to all I ever knew,
To you.
As Sam lay dying peacefully in his bed, his wife sobbing next to him, everyone in the room heard him say with one last smile, "I always knew you'd come back for me." And with that he passed swiftly into the next world, joining his very best friend at last. His broken heart was mended and the two never had to say goodbye again.