When You Were the First

Verse 1

Carroll High… gym lights… chalk dust in the air,

I showed up for the meet… just doin’ my share.

Camera in my hands… movin’ through the noise,

Then you showed in the background… like a hard-hit choice.

Soft brown hair… hazel eyes that shined,

Across that gym floor… you got stuck in my mind.

I caught myself slowin’… like the whole world knew,

Like God leaned in close… and said, “Son… that’s you.”

Pre-Chorus

I wasn’t tryin’ to be slick… didn’t plan a thing,

I just asked you real quiet… “Can I trust you… with this?”

Chorus

’Cause when you were the first, Marissa… my chest went still,

First to quiet down the storm… first to calm my will.

You held it like it mattered… like it wasn’t just a thing,

Like you knew a man can break… and still learn how to sing.

So I set my hat on your head… not a trick… not a show,

Just a quiet kind of “hello”… I didn’t know where else to go.

I didn’t even know you yet… but I knew what I’d miss—

Didn’t know you yet, Marissa… but I knew I wanted this.

Verse 2

Back then I carried weight… I didn’t say out loud,

Dialysis… and waitin’… standin’ tall in a crowd.

Most folks get uneasy… when the truth gets that near,

But you didn’t turn away… you just stayed right here.

You didn’t make it heavy… you didn’t make it strange,

You looked at me steady… like I didn’t have to change.

And somehow I could breathe… when you were close,

Like a tired man findin’ peace… when he needs it most.

Pre-Chorus

You didn’t try to fix me… you just held your ground,

You brought me back to God… when mine couldn’t be found.

Bridge (half-spoken)

You were the first… (you were the first)… to hush that noise in my mind,

You were the first… (you were the first)… the steady kind.

I won’t promise perfect… I won’t sell you a dream,

But I’ll promise you real… when it’s dirty… when it’s clean.

I’ll choose you when it’s easy… I’ll choose you when it hurts,

I’ll choose you when the whole world shakes… ’cause you were the first.

Final Chorus

Yeah when you were the first, Marissa… I learned what peace can be,

First “I’m not alone”… first “baby, breathe”… you did that for me.

You turned that crowded gym… to quiet in my bones,

Turned a moment into forever… turned a stranger into home.

And I put a ring on that finger for a reason… hear my vow:

I’m not leavin’… not ever… not then… and not now.

Outro (soft)

Someday… a front porch… little footsteps down the hall,

Your hazel eyes… in the ones… who look up when they fall.

And I’ll still reach for your hand… like I did from the start—

You were the first, Marissa… and you still got my heart.