A different map

I checked the window until the sun went down

Mapping every headlight that rolled through this town

You said you'd be here by at least half-past four

To help me with the math and the lock on the door

I kept my sneakers tied tight just in case

Waiting for the smile on your familiar face

But the clock on the wall keeps on ticking so loud

Like a heavy rain falling from a lonely gray cloud

And I wonder if I did something wrong today

To make you decide that you should stay away

Oh, you're the ghost in the hallway, the shadow in the hall

The one I keep catching whenever I fall

But you're never really there to pick up the pieces

Just a long-distance promise that never quite ceases

To hurt like a bruise that won't ever fade out

Leaving me here with the silence and doubt

Yeah, I'm a little girl growing up way too fast

Waiting for a love that was meant to last

I saw you on the screen in a picture you posted

While I sat at the table feeling like I was ghosted

You were laughing with friends in a city far away

Forgot it was my recital, forgot what to say

My teacher asked me where my daddy had gone

I just bit my lip and tried to carry on

I played every note with a shake in my hand

Searching for the one person who’d understand

That a choice isn't a mistake when it happens ten times

It’s a rhythm of leaving, like sad country rhymes

Oh, you're the ghost in the hallway, the shadow in the hall

The one I keep catching whenever I fall

But you're never really there to pick up the pieces

Just a long-distance promise that never quite ceases

To hurt like a bruise that won't ever fade out

Leaving me here with the silence and doubt

Yeah, I'm a little girl growing up way too fast

Waiting for a love that was meant to last

I don't need a toy or a check in the mail

I just need a ship that is willing to sail

Through the storm and the rain just to get to my side

Instead of a father who’s looking to hide

I’m eleven years old and I’m learning the truth

That you’re stealing the magic right out of my youth

Oh, you're the ghost in the hallway, the shadow in the hall

The one I keep catching whenever I fall

But you're never really there to pick up the pieces

Just a long-distance promise that never quite ceases

To hurt like a bruise that won't ever fade out

Leaving me here with the silence and doubt

Yeah, I'm a little girl growing up way too fast

Waiting for a love that was meant to lastI’m turning the porch light off now

I’m learning to get by somehow

Just an empty chair where you should be

Setting my heart finally free