Quiet House, Loud Memories

[Verse 1]
Coffee cup
Still on his shelf
Dust in the sun
Like it knows how it felt
Hallway hums
But it stays unheard
Every room
Holding back words
No cars pulling up in the driveway
No keys on the table at night
Just the echo of “remember when?”
And the time we can’t rewind
[Chorus]
This quiet house has loud memories
Every wall’s still saying his name
All the jokes
All the late-night stories
Playing back
Never quite the same
He wouldn't want us living in sorrow
He'd say
"Smile for me
Just in case"
So I cry
But I still feel him near me
And I trust that he’s safe
He’s safe
[Verse 2]
Phone on the counter
Face down
Still
Used to light up
Now it never will
No sudden calls
Just a silent screen
So we talk to his picture
Like he’s in between
Mom sets a plate at the table
Then pretends that she forgot
Dad walks out to fix something
Just to outrun the thoughts
[Chorus]
This quiet house has loud memories
Every wall’s still saying his name
All the jokes
All the late-night stories
Playing back
Never quite the same
He wouldn't want us living in sorrow
He'd say
"Smile for me
Just in case"
So I cry
But I still feel him near me
And I trust that he’s safe
He’s safe
[Bridge]
I like to think he’s somewhere laughing
Louder than he did before
Every time we start to falter
He’s the wind behind the door
[Chorus]
This quiet house has loud memories
Every wall’s still saying his name
All the photos
All the faded letters
Hold the pieces that remain
He wouldn't want us drowning in sorrow
He'd say
"Love each other
Give grace"
So we grieve
But we lean on each other
And we trust that he’s safe
Yeah
We trust that he’s safe
He’s safe

Sparse piano ballad with male vocals; intimate close-mic verses, soft ambient pad underneath. Chorus blooms with warm strings and subtle choir-like backing, then pulls back to near-silence on the last line. Gentle swells and long reverb tails mirror waves of grief and comfort., sad