[INTRO — Acoustic guitar G→C→D→Em, fingerpicked, tambourine on 2 & 4]
[VERSE 1]
I packed my hands in an empty suitcase
Left the window open, left without a trace
The morning fog was thick on every stone
I heard the church bell ring but I was gone
[Bass in bar 3, drums ghost snare, warm and open]
Every face I passed was someone else's dream
Nothing's ever lost but nothing's what it seems
[PRE-CHORUS]
And I keep on walking, keep on turning round
Looking for the sound that isn't lost
[Strings swell, cello holds, tension lifts]
[CHORUS — Full band, bright jangle guitar, group harmonies]
Every road leads back to where you are
Every night I find you in the stars
I don't need a map, I don't need a sign
Every road leads back — every time
[Echo: "every time, every time"]
[VERSE 2]
You wrote your name in chalk on the pavement
I watched the rain come down like absolution
The children laughed and pointed at the sky
I think I finally stopped pretending why
[Piano joins, McCartney left hand, bass walks warm]
I bought a ticket for the last train home
Somehow I knew I'd never ride it alone
[PRE-CHORUS]
And I keep on walking, keep on turning round
Looking for the sound that was there all along
[Guitars shimmer, snare hits crisp and clean]
[CHORUS]
Every road leads back to where you are
Every night I find you in the stars
I don't need a map, I don't need a sign
Every road leads back — every time
[BRIDGE — Key shifts E Minor, strings lead, raw and close]
Maybe I was the one who kept on running
Maybe you were standing still the whole time
Maybe every door I ever slammed shut
Was a window opened just in time
[Drums rebuild softly, key lifts back to G Major]
[CHORUS x2 — Full orchestra, tambourine cascades, harmonies open]
Every road leads back to where you are
Every night I find you in the stars
I don't need a map, I don't need a sign
Every road leads back — every time
Every road leads back to where you are
Every night I find you in the stars
I don't need a map, I don't need a sign
Every road leads back
[OUTRO — Solo acoustic, vocals hushed, bass fades last]
I packed my hands in an empty suitcase
Left the window open, left without a trace
Every road leads back
Every road leads back
Every road leads back...
[Single G chord — let ring, fade to silence]
OGknox7