Front Yard Ghost

[Verse 1]
We were dancing in the front yard
Bare feet in the summer dust
You were spinning in my T-shirt
Laughing loud, kicking up rust
Now that porch light feels colder
Since you walked out that door
Same swing, same stars
But you don't love me anymore
[Chorus]
You stopped loving me
Like a song cut off mid-line
Now I'm half a man
Talking to the dark at closing time
I'm alive on the outside
But I'm empty in my soul
Every step past that front gate
Is just learning letting go
Yeah, you stopped loving me
And I'm still trying to let you go
[Verse 2]
Your tire tracks in the gravel
Faded with the August rain
But your name's still in my driveway
Burned into the grain
Friends say it will get better
"Just give it time, you'll be fine"
But they weren't there in the yard
When your hand was holding mine
[Chorus]
You stopped loving me
Like a song cut off mid-line
Now I'm half a man
Talking to the dark at closing time
I'm alive on the outside
But I'm empty in my soul
Every step past that front gate
Is just learning letting go
Yeah, you stopped loving me
And I'm still trying to let you go
[Bridge]
I keep seeing us turning
Under that old porch light (oh yeah)
You're still there in that driveway
Then you fade into the night
[Chorus]
You stopped loving me
Left our dance out in the yard
Now the grass grew tall
Over every broken shard
I'm alive on the outside
But inside I'm laying low
Every breath I take these days
Is just learning letting go
Yeah, you stopped loving me
And I don't know how to let you go

country, Modern country ballad with male vocals, warm fingerpicked acoustic guitar and soft pedal steel swells. Intimate, verse-in-the-room energy that swells into a wide, harmony-lifted chorus with gentle kick and low bass. Subtle organ pad in the bridge; last chorus drops to near a cappella then band blooms back in for a bittersweet, cinematic finish.