[Soft piano. Faint ambient hum. Very minimal.]
[Voice: spoken, intimate, close mic, slightly shaky but controlled]
I don’t think people really notice it at first…
(pause)
How time starts changing the people you thought would always stay the same…
When I was five… I thought my dad was unbreakable.
Like nothing could touch him. Nothing could slow him down.
He was just… always there.
Fixing things. Laughing. Driving. Talking like life had no end to it.
[slight pause — ambient rises a bit]
But now I catch myself watching him…
Not in the same way anymore.
I notice the pauses between his steps…
The way he sits down a little slower than he used to…
And I start doing this thing I can’t control…
I start counting moments instead of living in them.
[pause — piano becomes slightly heavier]
Because part of me knows…
I’m not just watching him get older…
I’m running out of time without even realizing it.
And I don’t know how to say that out loud…
Without it sounding like I’m already saying goodbye.
[beat begins to subtly build into Verse 1]
[Verse 1]
**[Soft, reflective, almost speaking. Leave space between lines.]**
I saw a picture from when I was five years old
*(gentle, nostalgic)*
You were standing in the driveway, I was wearing your coat
*(slight smile in the voice)*
Back then you looked invincible, that's the truth that I know
*(pause)*
Funny how a kid believes his heroes don't grow old
*(linger on "old")*
Now I'm older, got responsibilities, bills to pay
*(slightly more grounded, present-day)*
Looking in the mirror and I see your face
*(brief pause)*
A little more every year, and it hits me strange
*(emotion starts creeping in)*
'Cause the older I get, the more I notice change
*(heavier emphasis on "change")*
---
### Pre-Chorus
**[Build tension. Faster pacing. More emotion.]**
You laugh it off when I ask if you're doing okay
*(concerned)*
Say you're fine, but I notice things you don't say
*(stress "don't say")*
The slower walk, the way you rub your back some days
*(voice cracks slightly)*
And I hate that my mind always runs away
*(pause before next section)*
---
### Chorus
**[Open up emotionally. Bigger vocal. More melody.]**
And I know time don't stop for anybody
*(strong, sustained notes)*
I know someday I'm gonna have to face it
*(growing intensity)*
But every time I think about that moment
*(hold "moment")*
I feel my heart breaking before it even happens
*(full emotional release)*
You're still here, so I'm holding on
*(powerful but vulnerable)*
Trying not to waste the days we've got
*(slight pullback)*
'Cause I know one day I'll be wishing
*(build)*
For one more talk, one more ride, one more memory
*(extend "memory")*
---
[Verse 2]
**[Return to controlled emotion, but heavier than Verse 1.]**
Remember Saturday mornings in the garage
*(warm, nostalgic)*
You were teaching me things while the radio played
*(steady rhythm)*
Didn't know at the time those moments were gold
*(emphasize "gold")*
Just thought we'd have forever, that's what children assume
*(slow down slightly)*
You taught me how to stand when life gets heavy
*(firmer voice)*
How to own my mistakes and keep moving steadily
*(confidence)*
How to carry myself when the pressure's getting deadly
*(increase intensity)*
How to be strong without pretending everything's ready
*(strong ending to the sequence)*
---
### Bridge
**[Nearly spoken. Very intimate. Minimal instrumentation.]**
How do you prepare for a loss like that?
*(long pause)*
How do you picture life when the picture goes black?
*(quieter)*
How do you thank somebody for everything they gave?
*(emotion rising)*
When "thank you" doesn't seem enough...
*(pause)*
For the weight that they carried?
*(voice nearly breaking)*
---
### Final Chorus
**[Biggest section of the song. Full emotion.]**
I'm becoming a man while you're growing old
*(powerful, sustained)*
And every year together feels more valuable than gold
*(intense)*
I know the day is coming, even though I pray it's slow
*(desperation)*
And that's the hardest truth I've ever had to know
*(hold final word)*
---
### Outro
**[Almost whispered. Vulnerable. Piano only.]**
If tomorrow comes...
*(pause)*
We'll make another memory.
*(soft)*
If tomorrow doesn't...
*(pause)*
I hope you always knew...
Everything good inside me started with you.
*(long pause)*
And when the day comes that I have to say goodbye...
I know it's gonna break me.
*(barely above a whisper)*
But I'll spend the rest of my life...
Trying to be the man you spent yours teaching me to become.
RileyAAIMusic