I wish you would’ve stayed,
You left too early, slipped away.
I was the youngest, I was small,
I didn’t know how to save it all.
I heard them say, “He’ll be alright,”
“He’s just going through a harder night.”
They called it something he could beat,
While he was drowning underneath.
Nobody saw behind your eyes,
Nobody heard your silent cries.
They saw the smart, successful man,
But never saw what no one can.
I wish I could’ve saved you,
I wish I would’ve known,
I would’ve fought the whole damn world
To bring you home.
You were losing everything,
And we thought you’d make it through,
But nobody knew how broken
The world became for you.
And now all I have left
Are memories and tears,
And one knock on the door
That I’ll remember through the years.
You were drinking just to disappear,
Trying to silence every fear.
Those stupid things we do at twenty
Turned into a life that wasn’t steady.
You had dreams, you had a name,
You had a future you could claim.
But little by little, piece by piece,
You lost the things that brought you peace.
You watched your whole world fall apart,
While no one saw inside your heart.
They thought that you would find your way,
But they didn’t know you couldn’t stay.
And I wish I’d been a little older,
Strong enough to pull you closer.
I would’ve screamed until they heard,
I would’ve made them believe your words.
I wish I could’ve saved you,
I wish I would’ve known,
I would’ve fought the whole damn world
To bring you home.
You were losing everything,
And we thought you’d make it through,
But nobody knew how broken
The world became for you.
And now all I have left
Are memories and tears,
And one knock on the door
That I’ll remember through the years.
Then one day you didn’t come home,
And suddenly I felt alone.
There was a stranger at the door,
And nothing would ever be the same anymore.
They said the words I couldn’t hear,
The kind that turn your blood to fear.
“I’m sorry… Bryan passed away.”
And something inside me died that day.
I was the youngest…
What could I do?
I would’ve given anything
To have another day with you.
I would’ve called.
I would’ve stayed.
I would’ve begged you not to fade.
But I can’t go back.
I can’t change time.
I can’t rewrite that final night.
I wish I could’ve saved you,
God, I wish that I could’ve.
I would’ve carried all your pain
If I knew that I could.
You were more than all your mistakes,
More than the things you couldn’t undo.
You were my brother,
You were loved,
And I hope somehow you knew.
And if heaven has a place
Where broken hearts can finally rest,
I hope you’re there without the pain,
Without the demons in your chest.
And if you ever hear this song
Somewhere beyond the blue,
Just know your little sibling
Never stopped loving you.
I still listen for your footsteps.
I still wish you’d walk through that door.
But all that’s left is a silence…and that last knock on that door.