[Verse 1]
Taillights fading in my rearview
Town sign says twenty miles to home
Coffee cooling in the cup holder
Radio low, but my mind’s alone
Every grain silo, every field line
Pulls me back through all those days
Little sneakers in the backseat kicking
As we chased the summer haze
[Chorus]
Every mile I’m driving back
Unwinds another Sunday
Baseball caps and muddy shoes
Crayons on the hallway
I can see you in the mirror
Both of you, laughing in the sun
Every mile I’m driving back
To the place I left
And the boy I couldn’t outrun
[Verse 2]
There’s that corner where you missed the bus
I turned around, we laughed all the way
You two fighting over front seat rights
Sticky hands and birthday cake stains
Porch light blinking past the treeline
First snow on your tangled hair
I can almost hear your brother calling
“Slow down, wait up, don’t you dare” (hey)
[Chorus]
Every mile I’m driving back
Unwinds another Friday
Cartoons humming from the den
Blankets on the driveway
I can see you in the mirror
Both of you, racing toward the sun
Every mile I’m driving back
To the place I left
And the boy I couldn’t outrun
[Bridge]
Then the road got quiet
One car seat stayed empty
His brother grew taller
But his jacket stayed twenty
I boxed up the bedrooms
Left the photos in their frames
Drove off with the windows open
Tried to forget our names
[Chorus]
Every mile I’m driving back
Unwinds what I was hiding
Tiny shoes by the front door
Fireflies still gliding
I can see you in the mirror
Both of you, made of light and lungs
Every mile I’m driving back
To the place I left
And all our boys
When they were young
[Outro]
Turn signal blinking at the exit
Welcome sign, peeling paint, half gone
I pull in slow, heart on the dashboard
Whisper, “Mama’s home”
To the one who moved on (oh)
And the one still holding on