The Long Way Home

(Tempo: Slow, acoustic guitar intro that builds into a full band)

(Verse 1)
It started with a dial-up tone in the summer of ninety-eight
A chat room on AOL, a twist of digital fate
A mutual friend was getting hitched, said we’d walk down the aisle
You were out in San Diego, I was a Florida mile
From Palm Bay to the West Coast, just lines upon a screen
That wedding never happened, but something in between
Started growing through the cables, through the late-night typing sounds
Two hearts spanning the distance, looking for common ground.

(Chorus)
And twenty-five years later, look at where we are
From a painted zebra donkey to wishing on a star
We checked the family tree back in our Puerto Rico town
Just to make sure we weren’t cousins before we settled down
Through the layoffs and the sickness, through the joy and through the strife
I thank the good Lord every day that you became my wife.

(Verse 2)
I flew out that September, nervous as a man could be
Met your folks and crossed the border down to Mexico with thee
Saw a donkey painted like a zebra, Lord, nobody would believe
When I told you, you were laughing, tugging on my sleeve
We rode the rides at Knott’s Berry Farm, screaming at the sky
I learned to love the spice of life, you learned to let my bad jokes fly
I flew back in November, then again in February cold
By May I had a diamond ring and a future to unfold.

(Chorus)
And twenty-five years later, look at where we are
From a painted zebra donkey to wishing on a star
We checked the family tree back in our Puerto Rico town
Just to make sure we weren’t cousins before we settled down
Through the layoffs and the sickness, through the joy and through the strife
I thank the good Lord every day that you became my wife.

(Bridge)
Your daddy found a job out east, they moved the whole clan too
We started the millennium saying "I do" to me and you
But life ain't always theme parks, sometimes the rides get rough
Cancer scares and chest pains, man, we’ve had enough
PTSD and pandemics, the world turned upside down
But when one of us would stumble, the other held their ground.

(Verse 3)
When I was weak, you were the rock, the strength I didn't have
When you were crying late at night, I did my best to make you laugh
We don't need a mansion or a heavy bank account
As long as God is in the house, that’s all that really counts
We’ve had our surgeries and scars, we’ve weathered every storm
But your hand inside of mine has always kept me warm.

(Outro)
You are my world, my life, my very best friend
The only one I want beside me until the journey ends
From that AOL chat room to a love that’s true and stronger than ever before
Here’s to twenty-five years, baby… and a lifetime more.

(Fade out on a final acoustic strum)

Country Ballad with a little pop, like Zac Brown Band