[Verse 1]
You used to fit
In the crook of my arm
Chewed on my car keys
Drooled on my watch
Tiny boots
On the wrong feet
You kept falling in the hallway
But you laughed every drop
I fixed your bike
With a butter knife
Signed crumpled homework
In the front-seat glow
Now I'm straightening
A crooked tie
In a bathroom mirror
I barely know
[Chorus]
They're playing songs you don't know I hate
While you float through that room in white
And I'm stuck in the doorway
Holding my breath and my pride
I taught you how to walk away
Never how to say goodbye
So I smile like it don't hurt
And I clap as you change your life
[Verse 2]
You steal my leather jacket
From the back of a chair
Laugh, say "It's vintage, Dad
You wouldn’t understand"
You spin in that dress
Ask, "Too much?"
And the world goes quiet
Like it's holding my hand
I remember late-night fevers
Cartoons humming low
My shoulder as your pillow
While the snow blocked the road
Same eyes
Same stubborn jaw
You're thanking folks at tables
Like you've done this all along
[Chorus]
They're playing songs you don't know I hate
While you float through that room in white
And I'm stuck in the doorway
Holding my breath and my pride
I taught you how to walk away
Never how to say goodbye
So I smile like it don't hurt
And I clap as you change your life
[Bridge]
[Spoken, almost a whisper]
I used to check if you were breathing
Hand over your tiny chest
Now I'm checking if I'm breathing
While he calls you "my best"
[Half-sung]
He calls you home
I call you kid
He says "forever"
I say "remember when…"
[Verse 3]
You catch my eye
Across the dance floor blur
Mouth, "You okay?"
Like I'm the fragile one here
I nod too hard
Sip warm drink
Think of training wheels
In the driveway sink
Your first scraped knee
Your first slammed door
The first time you said
You didn't need me anymore
[Chorus]
They're playing songs you don't know I hate
While you float through that room in white
And I'm stuck in the doorway
Holding my breath and my pride
I taught you how to walk away
Never how to say goodbye
So I smile like it don't hurt
And I clap as you change your life
[Outro]
You leave the hall
On his borrowed name
But those muddy little footprints
Still walk through my brain
Walk on, girl
It's your road now
I'll be sweeping up the memories
Till the lights burn out