WHAT THE MIRROR CAN’T SEE Written by Brian Ketchum [Intro — Fingerpicked Acoustic Guitar, Gentle Cello] [Verse 1 — Intimate, Conversational Male Baritone] Our daughter stood beside the drive, Her little boy held tight. She waved as we pulled slowly out, I waved one last goodbye. I caught them in the rearview, Her little boy was gone. She was running through the sprinkler On the lawn she’d grown up on. [Verse 2 — Mandolin Enters, Nostalgic] Her mother sat beside me, A road map on her knees. A little town was circled Where we’d never thought we’d be. I looked up in the mirror, Saw a bicycle laid down. Our daughter ran to meet me, Her feet barely touched the ground. [Chorus — Rolling Banjo, Warm Acoustic Lift] The rearview held the life we’d known, The windshield held the unknown. A circle on a paper map, A place we’d never called home. Behind us were the years we’d lived, Ahead, a road we’d never seen. And everything we’d come to love Was once a road like this. [Verse 3 — Cello Deepens, Intimate Vocal] She folded up the road map And reached across the seat. I felt the hand I’d held for years, Still warm against my knee. I glanced up in the mirror, Saw two kids with wedding rings. She was carrying a cardboard box, I was carrying our dreams. [Chorus — Fuller Acoustic Arrangement, Gentle Celtic Texture] The rearview held the life we’d known, The windshield held the unknown. A circle on a paper map, A place we’d never called home. Behind us were the years we’d lived, Ahead, a road we’d never seen. And everything we’d come to love Was once a road like this. [Bridge — Instruments Fall Away, Bare Vocal and Guitar] I remembered our first little place, The boxes on the floor. We didn’t know what waited On the other side of that door. Now our daughter stood there waving, Her little boy beside her. The life we’d once been scared to live Was the one we hated leaving. [Final Verse — Quiet, Unhurried] The highway signs were unfamiliar, The mountains up ahead. She asked me if I thought we’d make it, I heard the worry in her breath. I looked once more into the mirror, The house was out of sight. She reached across and held my hand, Like she’d done our whole life. [Final Chorus — Hopeful, Organic Acoustic Lift] The rearview held the life we’d known, The windshield held the unknown. A circle on a paper map, A place we’d never called home. Behind us were the years we’d lived, Ahead, a road we’d never seen. But she’d been there for every mile, And she was here for this one too. [Outro — Sparse Guitar, Distant Bagpipes, Soft Cello] She laid the map across her lap, I put my eyes back on the road. We knew exactly where we were going, But what waited there was unknown. [End]
