IF WE COULD LIVE SO GENTLY [Verse 1] If we could walk through life with open hands, Speak with care when bitterness is near, Leave no wound upon the ones beside us, Be the reason someone loses fear. If we could tread upon this earth more lightly, Leave no heavy footprints where we’ve been, Still live fully, bravely and completely, But leave a little kindness in between. [Pre-Chorus] We’re only here a little while, A borrowed breath, a borrowed mile… [Chorus] If we could live so gently, Love a little more, Hold the ones beside us Like we’ve never held before. If we could stop the chasing, And finally understand— Life was never what we gathered, It was what we gave away with open hands. [Verse 2] If we could find the sacred in the quiet, In a sunrise, in a long unhurried walk, In sitting with somebody through their sadness, In listening when there’s nothing left to talk. If we could laugh as though the soul were endless, Cry without pretending we’re okay, Grow old and still be utterly astonished By the ordinary miracle of every day. [Pre-Chorus] We’re only here a little while, A borrowed breath, a borrowed mile… [Chorus] If we could live so gently, Love a little more, Hold the ones beside us Like we’ve never held before. If we could stop the chasing, And finally understand— Life was never what we gathered, It was what we gave away with open hands. [Bridge – stripped back] And when the years have passed us, And our footsteps fade from view, May nobody speak of riches, Or the things we used to do. May they simply say we noticed. That we listened. That we cared. That somehow when the world felt heavy, It was lighter when we were there. [Build] Because life is only borrowed. A fragile flame we hold. And love was never something We were ever meant to own. [Final Chorus – huge] So let us live more gently, Let us love a little more, Hold the ones beside us Like we’ve never held before. Let us stop the chasing, While there’s still time to understand— Life was never what we gathered, It was what we gave away with open hands. [Outro – almost whispered] And when our days grow quiet, May one simple thing be true: The world was softer, brighter, kinder somehow… Because, for a little while, It carried you.
