[Intro – slow, reflective] Echoes of yesterday… faint but clear Memories drift… shadows near The sun on your back… the sweat on your hands Everything we were… still lingers in these lands [Verse 1 – measured, steady] He taught me… how to cast that line… under the burning sun Red neck… old work truck… days begun… and gone He laughed… when the sink still leaked… wrench warm in my hand Said… slow down… don’t force it… son… fix what you can Dust in the air… sweat on skin… worn jeans on worn legs Steady hands… steady heart… more than words could peg A rock on mama’s side… quiet… and strong Now I stand here… wondering… where we went wrong [Chorus – slightly longer notes, held on key words] Pawpaw… don’t remember… but I hold it all Late night talks… quiet rooms… footsteps in the hall He looks into my eyes… like he’s seen me before Pawpaw… don’t remember… but I need him more [Verse 2 – soft, almost conversational] Different days… different rooms… same lost stare Time moves on… it don’t play fair You pause… searching… trying to place How the hell… you ended up… in this space I tell you softly… who I am… you try to understand Every blink a struggle… every moment… in demand Smiles borrowed… seconds rearranged One flash of knowing… then it slips away… changed [Chorus – same pacing as first, maybe slightly stronger] Pawpaw… don’t remember… but I hold it all Late night talks… quiet rooms… footsteps in the hall He looks into my eyes… like he’s seen me before Pawpaw… don’t remember… but I need him more [Bridge – weighty, deliberate] You used to know… every corner… every truth… every way Now I’m the one… guiding you… through the day You taught me patience… to keep my footing firm Now I hold the line… when your world… twists and turns Your voice cracks… your eyes searching mine I memorize the man… piece by piece… line by line [Verse 3 – intimate, almost whispered] I remember the tilt of your head… when you laughed The way you’d shake your hands… to wipe off the past The quiet pride… in your step… the stubborn tilt of your chin Even as the memory faded… your heart… never gave in I trace the moments… we carved in sweat and dust Every lesson… every word… every quiet trust And though the man… in front of me… drifts away each day I carry him here… he never… truly fades [Chorus – final, slow, held on key words] Pawpaw… don’t remember… but I hold it all Every laugh… every fight… every whispered call He looks into my eyes… like he’s seen me before Pawpaw… don’t remember… but I need him more [Outro – long, drawn out, reflective] Echoes of yesterday… faint but clear I carry the weight… of every year If your mind won’t stay… mine will do I’ll remember enough… for the both of us… too Pawpaw… always you

Shadow of a Memory