The Bottle Took You First

I watched you pour your heart into that glass,

Told me it was just a phase, that it’d pass.

But nights turned into years, and you turned into someone new,

Whiskey stole the pieces that I once knew.

You said the burn made all the voices fade,

Said it kept your demons in the shade.

But I saw the shadows grow with every swallow down,

And I slowly learned I couldn’t pull you out.

’Cause the bottle took you first,

Long before the hearse,

I lost you sip by sip,

Before your heart quit.

I held on ’til it hurt,

Tried to save you from the thirst,

But loving you just made it worse…

The night you died, I realized—

The bottle took you first.

I begged you just to put the poison down,

But you said it’s all that kept you around.

You smiled like everything was fine,

But I knew you were running out of time.

’Cause the bottle took you first,

Long before the hearse,

I lost you sip by sip,

Before your heart quit.

I held on ’til it hurt,

Tried to save you from the thirst,

But loving you just made it worse…

The night you died, I realized—

The bottle took you first.

I still blame myself some nights,

Thinking maybe I could’ve changed your mind.

But addiction’s a war you never let me fight…

And you chose the losing side.

Yeah, the bottle took you first,

Left me drowning in the dirt,

I lost you inch by inch,

Every tear, every flinch.

Now I’m the one who hurts,

Talking to you in the earth…

But if angels ask why you’re not here—

I’ll tell ’em clear:

The bottle took you first.