(Verse 1)
I keep his clothes in a box beneath the bed
The words he would have spoken, the books he would have read
A phantom in the mirror, watching as I age
A story half-written on a torn and empty page
He had a steadier hand, he had a sharper mind
He left the wreckage of my choices far behind
I catch a glimpse of him when the light is low
The man I never was, the man I’ll never know
(Chorus)
Oh, I’m haunted by the ghost of a different life
By the shadow of a man who cut through all the strife
He wouldn't have faltered, he wouldn't have stayed
He wouldn't have watched as the colors started to fade
He’s the architect of dreams that I couldn't build
The glass half-empty that he would have filled
Just a hollow silhouette in the heavy pause
Oh, I’m grieving for the man I never was
(Verse 2)
He kept his promises, he never felt the fear
He faced the music when the end was drawing near
While I was hiding, he was standing in the rain
He turned his back on the pleasure and the pain
I try to walk his path, but my feet are made of lead
The echoes of his courage ringing in my head
It’s a cruel kind of hunger, this wanting to be him
To lose the jagged edges, to quiet down the din
(Chorus)
Oh, I’m haunted by the ghost of a different life
By the shadow of a man who cut through all the strife
He wouldn't have faltered, he wouldn't have stayed
He wouldn't have watched as the colors started to fade
He’s the architect of dreams that I couldn't build
The glass half-empty that he would have filled
Just a hollow silhouette in the heavy pause
Oh, I’m grieving for the man I never was
(Bridge)
Maybe he’s a fiction, a construct of the mind
A way to leave the broken version far behind
But he’s the standard that I judge my failures by
A brilliant star burning in a dark and empty sky
I’m tired of the chase, I’m tired of the race
Against a stranger with a familiar face
(Guitar Solo - Somber, melodic, and introspective)
(Chorus)
Oh, I’m haunted by the ghost of a different life
By the shadow of a man who cut through all the strife
He wouldn't have faltered, he wouldn't have stayed
He wouldn't have watched as the colors started to fade
He’s the architect of dreams that I couldn't build
The glass half-empty that he would have filled
Just a hollow silhouette in the heavy pause
Oh, I’m grieving for the man I never was
(Outro)
He’s gone before he started.
He never truly lived.
Just the grace I never had to give.
Goodbye to the man...
The man I never was.
(Fade out on a single, resonant note)
