[Vocal Warm, intimate female vocal. Soft/ conversational in the verses, building gradually into heartfelt final chorus.]
[Instrumentation
Solo felt piano opening. Warm cello & violin enter gradually. Light percussion begins after the first chorus.]
[IntroSolo felt piano. Vocal sounds like a mother quietly speaking to her child.]
[Verse]
Before I got to hold you,
I already knew your name.
You were my favorite conversation.
Nothing ever felt the same.
I talked to you on every drive home,
Told you all about my day.
You turned ordinary moments
Into memories I’d never trade.
I couldn’t wait to meet you,
To watch your little life begin.
I’d never been so full of wonder,
Never been so excited.
[Pre-Chorus]
[Warm cello enters. Strings slowly build.]
Every choice I made
Became a choice for us.
Every dream I dreamed
Already had you in it.
You changed my whole tomorrow
Long before tomorrow came.
[Chorus]
[Piano opens up. Strings swell.]
Before I got to hold you,
I already knew you.
Before I got to hold you,
I already loved you.
Before I got to hold you,
You already had my heart.
I celebrated every heartbeat,
Imagined every smile.
If love alone could’ve kept you here,
We never would’ve been apart.
[Verse]
[Pull back to piano and cello.]
I read everything I could,
Asked every question I knew.
I wanted nothing more
Than to give this world to you.
Now I live beside a question
That follows everywhere I go.
Would a little more peace,
A little less heartache,
Have let me watch you grow?
[Pre-Chorus]
Everyone tells me
Some things can’t be changed.
But a mother’s heart
Will always wonder
If she could’ve found one more way.
[Chorus]
[Larger strings. Layered harmonies.]
Before I got to hold you,
I already knew you.
Before I got to hold you,
I already loved you.
Before I got to hold you,
You already had my heart.
Every plan I made
Already had you there.
I’d have stood between you
And every storm.
I’d have carried every hurt
If it meant you could stay.
[Bridge]
[Everything drops to piano and solo cello.]
Sometimes I still tell you about my day.
Sometimes I still wonder
Who you would’ve become.
Sometimes I smile
Before I remember.
And I’ll probably spend forever wondering
If more laughter,
Less fear,
More peace
Could’ve changed our story.
I’d give every tomorrow I have
For one more day with you.
[Final Chorus]
[Full orchestra. Rich harmonies.]
Before I got to hold you,
I already knew you.
Before I got to hold you,
I already loved you.
Before I got to hold you,
You already had my heart.
You made me someone’s mother.
You changed who I am.
Some people measure a life
By the years they get.
I’ll measure yours
By every conversation,
Every dream,
Every hope,
Every ounce of love
I carried for you.
Before I got to hold you,
I already knew you.
Before I got to hold you,
I already loved you.
And before I got to hold you,
You’ll always have my heart.
[Outro]
[Only felt piano remains.]
Before I got to hold you,
You were already
My son.
[Single sustained piano note]
