Back Where the River Turns

[Verse 1]
Pulled off by the rusted sign
Paint’s all peeled
But the name’s still mine
Same two lanes
But the stores are new
Coffee bar where the jukebox blew
Mom’s old house has a second floor
Fresh white trim on the sagging door
But under that porch
Same creek-bed stones
Where I scraped my knees and broke my bones
[Chorus]
Funny what stays
What turns to dust
Ghosts in the glass
Weeds in the ruts
Main Street’s bright
But the air still burns
Like gravel and rain when the school bus turns
I drove so far just to learn
This town’s moved on
But my heart still returns
[Verse 2]
Ballfield lights look taller now
Bleachers gone
Just a leveled mound
But that chain-link fence
Still bent right there
Where we climbed out past the county fair
Ran into Joe at the hardware aisle
His hair went gray
But he grinned that smile
We talked in circles ‘bout kids and pay
Skipped the part where we both drove away
[Chorus]
Funny what fades
What still rings true
Voices you lost come walking through
Church bell cracks on the quarter turns
Same slow song in my chest still churns
I changed my name
Changed my turns
This town grew up
But my heart still returns
[Bridge]
They filled in the lot where we learned to spin
Built tidy homes where we snuck gin
Street got a number
Lost its word
But I swear at night
Those kids are heard (oh)
[Chorus]
Funny what stays
What slips the seams
Polaroid frames
Half-buried dreams
Can’t go back
But the road still curves
Past the river bend and the tangled ferns
I drove all night just to learn
I left this place
But it never left me in return

Warm alt-folk ballad, male vocals. Fingerpicked acoustic guitar and subtle upright bass, brushed snare entering on the first chorus. Gentle organ pad and soft lap steel gliding in the background. Verses stay intimate and close-mic’d; chorus opens with stacked harmonies and a roomy reverb tail. Final chorus drops to guitar and voice, then swells briefly with full band for the last line., nostalgic