From a Distance

I watched you grow through a frame I never stood inside

Every birthday candle burned while I swallowed my pride

Saw the boy turn steady, saw the man in your eyes

From a distance, I was learning how to live with the lies

That I missed too much, that I stayed out of reach

Now the words I should have said keep breaking me speech by speech

I remember your pain like a bruise under skin

Wanted to pull it out, but I didn’t know where to begin

I’m here, if you ever want to call my name

No matter how far, I still carry your flame

I know love can be quiet, I know silence can sting

But I’d listen all night if you needed anything

I’m here, I’m here, even now, even then

If you open that door, I will answer again

I wish I could rewrite every road I left untaken

Every promise I let fall, every hope I was breaking

I saw your hard days, the nights you tried to hide

And I hated that the hurt had a home by your side

If I could, I’d gather every sharp thing from your chest

Lay it down in the dark and let your heart get some rest

But all I have is this voice and these hands reaching through

A small kind of truth: I never stopped loving you

I’m here, if you ever want to call my name

No matter how far, I still carry your flame

I know love can be quiet, I know silence can sting

But I’d listen all night if you needed anything

I’m here, I’m here, even now, even then

If you open that door, I will answer again

No more hiding in the distance

No more learning you from shadows

If you let me in, I’ll meet you where it matters

With an open heart and a patient hand

I’m here, if you ever want to call my name

No matter how far, I still carry your flame

I know love can be quiet, I know silence can sting

But I’d listen all night if you needed anything

I’m here, I’m here, even now, even then

If you open that door, I will answer again