The Version I Remember

(slow, melancholic, dreamy reverb — a contrast before grit returns)

(Verse 1)

You never cried in the version I keep,

Never slammed doors, never cut too deep.

Every laugh was golden, every touch a spark,

I keep you perfect in the dark.

I erase the nights that weren’t kind,

Trim the edges of your mind.

(Verse 2)

We danced in kitchens with peeling paint,

No fights, no sorrow, no complaint.

I edit reality like film in my hands,

Curating moments, my own demands.

Even the rain felt soft and warm,

Even the storms couldn’t harm.

(Pre-Chorus)

Maybe it’s not the way it was,

But it’s the way it feels because

I need it to be true,

And I need it to be you.

(Chorus 1)

I keep the version I remember,

Warm as a fire in December.

No edges, no scars, just light,

You’re alive inside my night.

I keep the version I remember,

Safe inside forever.

(Verse 3 — distorted, more desperate)

I replay every word you said,

Even the ones that never left your head.

I stitch together every scene,

Create the love I might have seen.

And if reality slips away,

I’ll make it bend and make you stay.

(Chorus 2 — louder, echoing)

I keep the version I remember,

Hold it tight, I’ll surrender.

Even if the past is wrong,

I’ll replay it, play it long.

You’re the version I choose to keep,

Alive in my mind, buried deep.

(Outro — soft fuzz, whisper)

You never left.

Not in here.

Not in me.