Guitar, Fiddle, and Piano)
[Tempo: 68 BPM – Slow waltz feel, soft brushes on drums, upright bass, piano fills]
Intro:
[Steel guitar intro solo (8 bars)]
(Fiddle echoes the melody, gentle piano chords under)
---
[Verse 1]
(Acoustic guitar and piano start softly)
I know I gave you every reason
To pack your things and go,
Back when whiskey talked for me,
And I hurt the one I loved the most.
(Steel guitar cries between lines)
But I’ve changed my ways, I’ve paid my dues,
I’m tryin’ hard to make amends,
Still every time you look at me,
You see the fool I was back then.
---
[Chorus]
(Band swells slightly – drums with brushes, fiddle harmonizes)
Every time the past comes up,
It tears our future down,
You say you love me, but you still can’t trust
The man who turned it ‘round.
(Steel guitar slide into next line)
I can’t keep payin’ for my sins,
When I’ve already done my time,
Every time the past comes up,
It pulls us back across that line.
(Steel guitar solo – 4 bars)
---
[Verse 2]
(Soft piano and fiddle rejoin)
I’ve been home for every supper,
No more lies, no more late nights,
I hang my hat where it belongs,
And hold you close each time we fight.
(Steel and fiddle fill the spaces gently)
But one small word can light the flame,
And we’re right back where we’ve been,
You cry about the hurt I caused,
And I swear it starts again.
---
[Chorus]
(Full band, emotion building)
Every time the past comes up,
It tears our future down,
You say you love me, but you still can’t trust
The man who turned it ‘round.
I can’t keep payin’ for my sins,
When I’ve already done my time,
Every time the past comes up,
It pulls us back across that line.
(Short fiddle solo – 4 bars)
---
[Bridge]
(Music drops to just acoustic and piano)
I ain’t askin’ for forgiveness overnight,
But darlin’, don’t you see,
If we keep livin’ in what’s gone,
There won’t be no you and me.
(Steel guitar answers softly, emotional fill)
---
[Final Chorus]
(Band swells for the last time, strong vocals)
Every time the past comes up,
It drags our hearts through hell,
You say you wanna start again,
But you can’t let yourself.
I’ve done all a man can do,
To prove I’ve changed my mind,
But every time the past comes up,
We lose more of what’s left behind.
---
[Outro]
(Fiddle takes the lead for 2 bars, steel guitar follows)
Yeah, I’m still here holdin’ on,
But I’m scared we’ve had enough…
‘Cause every time the past comes up,
It keeps tearin’ us up.
(Steel guitar holds the final note – long fade with fiddle harmony)
