[Verse 1] It’s been twenty-five years now Still some nights feel like the first I’ve cried myself to sleep so long I’ve learned to live beside the hurt Every little thing we had Still lives exactly where it was Funny how an empty room Can hold a lifetime full of us [Pre-Chorus] I don’t need to hear that name To know who I’m thinking of Some things don’t disappear Just because they’re gone [Chorus] Don’t say her name, I’m trying to forget Don’t bring me back to everything we said I can face the silence, I can take the pain Just don’t ask me why I still feel the same Twenty-five years and still some things don’t change Some memories never fade away So talk about anything, just not yesterday And whatever you do— Don’t say her name [Verse 2] Our children are in college now Chasing lives all of their own They were children when the towers fell Too young to understand the smoke Mommy went to heaven After the towers collapsed that day And Daddy tried to hold them close While his own heart broke away [Pre-Chorus] Now they’re old enough to understand What childhood couldn’t make clear How one September morning Changed every single year [Chorus] Don’t say his name, I’m trying to forget Don’t bring me back to everything we said I can face the silence, I can take the pain Just don’t ask me why I still feel the same Twenty-five years and still some things don’t change Some memories never fade away So talk about anything, just not yesterday And whatever you do— Don’t say his name [Verse 3 — Children] Mommy went to heaven When the towers came crashing down Daddy stayed and raised us When our whole world hit the ground Now Daddy is no longer here And we’re standing on our own Two empty chairs, two photographs And children who have grown We packed our bags for college Like you always dreamed we would We wish that you could see us now We hope we’ve made you proud And sometimes when the night is still We talk to both of you Because growing up without you Never meant we stopped loving you [Chorus] Don’t say her name, not tonight Some memories still burn too bright Our children grew, the seasons changed But somewhere in our hearts, you stayed Twenty-five years, a thousand tears And nothing takes that love away If heaven lets you hear us There’s something left to say— Don’t say her name [Bridge] Mom and Dad, if you can hear us We made it farther than we knew Every graduation, every birthday There was an empty place for you But we carried both your stories Through every passing year And even though we cannot see you Somehow you’re still here [Final Chorus] Don’t say his name, not tonight We’ve spent so many years learning goodbye Mommy went to heaven Daddy followed years away Now their children stand together With everything they gave Twenty-five years can change a world But love doesn’t disappear with time So when somebody asks us How we made it through the pain— We’ll hold each other closer And whisper both their names.
