Hi Tom!
Ooo yeah. This song is smooth. I can hear what you mean about Mariana’s lyrics, and your music brings them to life! I agree with Ron about the strings and also wanted more of the song in length, but hey - great song!

On a tangent, your first line in your post could easily be the opening sentence in a novel…
‘When Mariana Noble walked into our town's first "Songwriting Club" meeting in 1982 with a 3-ring binder of "lyrics without music" under her arm, I offered to collaborate with her.’

Andrew