[Verse 1]
You said
“Text me when you’re home”
Now I’m staring at my phone
Blue dots
No dots
Last seen
Gone
Scroll your friends list all night long
Check the stories
Check the tags
Zoom on faces
Zoom on hands
Why’s that dude there in the back?
Heart beating like an attack
[Pre-Chorus]
I know it’s twisted
I know it’s sick
Tell myself
“Stop
” but I double-click
I should be asking how your day went
I’m too busy tracking every statement
[Chorus]
I’m in the front row to your life
But I don’t look you in the eyes
Got tickets to your every move
But I never ask the truth
I’m so obsessed with where you are
I keep missing who you are
Yeah
I’m your boyfriend on paper
But I’m just a stranger
A stranger
To your heart
[Verse 2]
You laugh at something on your screen
I freeze
Replay the little scene
“Who’s that?” slips out before I think
You say
“Relax
It’s just a meme”
You talk about your work
Your boss
I nod
But really I’m still lost
Stuck on some comment that you liked
Your voice fades into the white
[Pre-Chorus]
I know it’s poison
I drink it slow
Telling myself it’s love
What a joke
I should be holding you when you’re shaking
I’m too busy checking who you’re chasing
[Chorus]
I’m in the front row to your life
But I don’t look you in the eyes
Got tickets to your every move
But I never ask the truth
I’m so obsessed with where you are
I keep missing who you are
Yeah
I’m your boyfriend on paper
But I’m just a stranger
A stranger
To your heart
[Verse 3]
Your mother called
You stepped outside
I watched you pace
I watched you cry
I didn’t move
Just analyzed
Who made you hurt
Not asking why
You came back in with swollen eyes
Said
“Hold me
Please
” in this small voice
I pulled you close
But in my mind
I pictured names
I pictured lies
[Pre-Chorus]
I call it caring
I call it truth
It’s just control dressed up in youth
You need someone who hears you shaking
I’m just here to stop you breaking… rules
[Chorus]
I’m in the front row to your life
But I don’t look you in the eyes
Got tickets to your every move
But I never ask the truth
I’m so obsessed with where you are
I keep missing who you are
Yeah
I’m your boyfriend on paper
But I’m just a stranger
A stranger
To your heart
[Bridge]
[Beat drops out
Whispered vocal]
Refresh
Refresh
Refresh again (again)
Lose you a little with every spin
Every question that I never ask
Every feeling that I scroll right past
[Build]
I see your shadow slip from mine
You turn the volume up this time
Say
“Love isn’t keeping tabs
Love is asking where I’m at”
[Chorus]
I’ve been in the front row to your life
Never really by your side
Had tickets to your every move
But I never learned the truth
I was obsessed with where you are
I kept missing who you are
Yeah
I’m your boyfriend on paper
Just a stranger
A stranger
To your heart
[Outro]
You’re right here
Breathing in my bed
I’m right here
Trapped inside my head
If this is love
It’s coming apart
I watched your life
But I never watched your heart