Her Mama bought her a hope chest To keep her dreams inside All the precious memories Little things she'd like to hide A magic wand, an old rag doll Some plastic pearls, 'cause, after all A little girl is only a little girl so long Tender hearts need their stars to wish upon One day will turn around, and she'll be gone A little girl is only a little girl so long One day, when she got home from school She slipped a little note Beneath the tattered lining And here is what he wrote 'Roses are red, violets are blue' 'Put an X in the box if you like me too' A little girl is only a little girl so long Tender hearts need their stars to wish upon One day will turn around, and she'll be gone A little girl is only a little girl so long They married in the garden on a perfect July day In a horse and carriage They waved and rode away Mama went inside to put away her wedding dress And she spotted a letter lying on the old hope chest It said... A little girl is only a little girl so long Your lonely heart might need a star to wish upon So look inside once in a while to bring the memories home 'Cause a little girl is only a little girl And I will always be your little girl so long