[Verse 1]
We picked out baby names
On the back of grocery lists
You kissed my worried forehead
Said
“One day
It’ll fit”
Fifteen winters
Shared coats
Fifteen summers
Packed cars
I learned your every silence
Like I learned your scars
[Chorus]
Paper cradle
Folded dreams
You swore you’d hold them safe with me
Trust was our religion
We bled for that vision
I gave you all my golden years
You gave me hidden gears
Turning in the dark
Away from me
Paper cradle torn along the seam
[Verse 2]
Your suitcase in the closet
Half-packed for a different life
Plane tickets under phone bills
Practice lies in perfect lines
Doctor said the clock was closing
You just kissed my shaking hands
Said
“Whatever happens
Happens”
You already had another plan
[Chorus]
Paper cradle
Folded dreams
You swore you’d hold them safe with me
Trust was our religion
We bled for that vision
I gave you all my golden years
You gave me hidden gears
Turning in the dark
Away from me
Paper cradle torn along the seam
[Bridge]
There’s a room we never painted
A lullaby we never learned
A calendar of due dates
That never got a turn
I grieve the child we never met
I grieve the girl I used to be
But somewhere past this broken house
There’s a key that still fits me (oh)
[Chorus]
Paper cradle
Folded dreams
I’ll lay them down and let them be
Love was my religion
Now truth is my decision
You took the map
You changed the end
I’ll start again
As my own friend
Walking from the dark
Into the street
Bare hands free to hold what’s meant for me