Verse 1
The chair across from me stays empty most nights
Dinner gets colder, but the lights stay on
I measure my life in lunches I missed
And promises paid for before they were born
I learned how to show up without being seen
How to love from the edge of the room
Every dollar had fingerprints
Every mile had a reason to move
Pre-Chorus
I didn’t vanish
I just stood behind
The life I built
So theirs could shine
Chorus
The years learned my name
Before my kids did
I traded moments
For roofs and rent
If love’s a language
I spoke it in time
I wasn’t absent
I was buying tomorrow
One sacrifice at a time
Verse 2
Their shoes got bigger, my hands got worn
Their dreams grew loud, mine learned restraint
I watched birthdays through phone screens
And called it strength instead of pain
I kept my pride folded in my coat
So theirs could walk without weight
If they never know what it cost
That might be the win I take
Pre-Chorus
I didn’t lose myself
I just delayed
The version of me
That could finally stay
Chorus
The years learned my name
While I worked late
I fed the future
From an empty plate
If love’s a currency
I spent it all
I wasn’t missing
I was holding the wall
While they climbed higher than I ever saw
Bridge
One day they’ll notice the quiet
The way I never complained
They’ll hear my voice
In the choices they make
And maybe then they’ll understand
Why I stayed unseen
Why my love never asked
To be remembered by me
Final Chorus
The years learned my name
And gave it back
In children who walk
A straighter path
If legacy lives
In who stands tall
Then I was present
Even when I wasn’t there at all
Outro
The table’s still set
The chair’s still mine
I’ll sit when the future
Finally has time
GoffredoLegacy
