[Intro: hollow-body guitar, bass slides in, easy groove] [Verse 1: half-spoken, dry, a knowing smile] I used to run like the house was burning Every call was life or death Had a dozen people needing answers Felt like a hundred, never caught my breath Called all that a good problem Wore it like a badge of pride Now the phone don't ring like it used to And I can hear the things I let slide [Pre-Chorus: band pulls back, voice plain] These days I need the world more than it needs me Funny, that's the first time I could see [Chorus: talk-singing, steady, warm] These are good problems The kind that come from being alive A dog on the leash who won't let me hurry Somebody waiting when I get inside Some of it aches and some of it sings I'll take every bit of it, every day These are good problems And I hope they stay [Verse 2: half-spoken, honest, steady] Then the year ran out and the world went quiet Everything I'd built stood still You find out who your friends are You find out what's real You find out who loves you through and through And home's the best thing I ever built So I'm back at my desk before the sun comes up Building it again, and building still [Pre-Chorus: band pulls back] These days I need the world more than it needs me Funny, that's the first time I could see [Chorus: talk-singing, a little fuller] These are good problems The kind that come from being alive A dog on the leash who won't let me hurry Somebody waiting when I get inside Some of it aches and some of it sings I'll take every bit of it, every day These are good problems And I hope they stay [Bridge: guitar and voice only, spoken, unhurried] I walk the dog when the work is done Slow enough to see All the years I ran right past it It was waiting there for me It's not what you've got when the running stops It's who you are when that's all there is Lucky to be here for the joy of it Lucky to be here for the pain [Final Chorus: full band, warmest moment, voice deep and plain] These are good problems The kind you only get when you're alive A dog on the leash who won't let me hurry Somebody waiting when I get inside Some of it aches and some of it sings I'll take every bit of it, every day These are good problems And I hope they stay [Outro: guitar alone, voice low, a quiet smile] Yeah, I hope they stay [End] Lyrics © 2026 Paul Pfanner
