The Lessons

[Verse 1] I remember stupid jokes And sitting way too long Conversations going nowhere That somehow still live on I remember what you taught me Without meaning to at all Little things you probably figured Nobody would recall Now everybody loves a headline Everybody needs a why Something clean enough to package Around the way somebody died But I knew you before the ending So fuck reducing you to that You were an entire fucking person Before the world went black [Pre-Chorus] You don’t become your worst decision You don’t become your final day And I refuse to let the ending Rewrite everything you gave [Chorus] I’ll remember you by the lessons Not the weapon that you chose By the shit that made me laugh By the things that helped me grow By the way you changed a room By the things I didn’t know Until you taught me without trying Years before you had to go I won’t make your final moment The only story people know I’ll remember you by the lessons Not the weapon that you chose [Verse 2] You taught me people can be hurting While they’re making everybody smile That somebody can keep showing up While disappearing all the while You taught me check on who gets quiet Don’t assume that strong means fine Say the thing while they can hear it Don’t keep love for some better time And maybe that’s the cruelest lesson There’s no perfect thing to say Sometimes people leave us questions That don’t ever go away So I’m done interrogating Every second, every sign Like somewhere in the evidence There’s an answer I could find [Pre-Chorus] You don’t become your worst decision You don’t become your final day And I refuse to let the ending Take your whole damn name away [Chorus] I’ll remember you by the lessons Not the weapon that you chose By the shit that made me laugh By the things that helped me grow By the way you changed a room By the things I didn’t know Until you taught me without trying Years before you had to go I won’t make your final moment The only story people know I’ll remember you by the lessons Not the weapon that you chose [Bridge] Maybe grief wants an explanation Maybe anger wants a name Maybe everyone keeps pointing At the last page like it explains Every chapter that came before it Every person that you were No. I knew you before the headline I knew you before the hurt And whatever happened at the ending Doesn’t get to own your worth [Final Chorus] I’ll remember you by the lessons Not the weapon that you chose Every kindness, every warning Every place your influence goes Every dumb thing, every good thing Every piece I still hold close You were more than one decision You were more than how you went And if anybody asks me What you left here when you left I’ll tell them about the lessons Not the weapon. The lessons.