Verse 1
I dragged my heart through a gravel drive
Just to keep you warm at night
Said your name like a six-string cry
You’d smile, laugh, look to the side
Every time I said how I felt
You’d chuckle soft like it didn’t help
That nervous laugh was your escape
Left me hangin’ in that space
(short guitar lick – sting, don’t shred)
Pre-Chorus
I’d ask you straight, you’d shake your head
Say “not right now,” say “not yet”
I kept leanin’ in, you kept pullin’ back
Like love was somethin’ you couldn’t catch
Chorus
So I quit sayin’ I love you
Quit pourin’ it out like wine
Quit askin’ you to be mine
When it was never the right time
I don’t raise hell, I don’t make a sound
Just let it ache inside
Yeah I quit sayin’ I love you
But I still love you anyway
Verse 2
I bent every rule just to fit your world
Played the blues for a restless girl
You said chains make you wanna run
Said love’s a loaded gun
I wore mine like a second skin
While you kept one foot ready to spin
I saw the truth but I stayed too long
‘Cause the hurt still felt like a song
(gritty turnaround riff)
Pre-Chorus
You’d kiss me quick then change the tune
Like feelin’ deep was somethin’ you couldn’t do
I learned real fast what silence means
When you love somebody who won’t lean in
Chorus
So I quit sayin’ I love you
Quit bleedin’ out every truth
Quit askin’ what we could be
When you never knew
I don’t call, I don’t cross that line
I just play it cool and lie
Yeah I quit sayin’ I love you
But I still love you anyway
Bridge (Half-Time, SRV Soul Moment)
Some nights I hear your laugh in my head
Like a ghost laid out in my bed
I reach for the phone, then I set it down
Some lessons hurt when you learn ‘em loud
I don’t need you to change your mind
Don’t need your heart to survive
But love don’t die just ‘cause it ain’t fed
It just plays the blues instead
(LONG expressive solo — bends, vibrato, make it cry)
Last Chorus (Full Band, Dirty)
Yeah I quit sayin’ I love you
Quit knockin’ on your door
Quit askin’ for forever
When you never wanted more
I don’t blame you, I don’t fight
I just carry it like a knife
Yeah I quit sayin’ I love you
But I still love you anyway
Outro (Strip It Down)
I got the hint, yeah I caught the sign
Some hearts ain’t ready at the same damn time
I don’t tell you nothin’ anymore
But baby…
I still feel it in every chord