(Intro) (Quiet, slow fingerpicked acoustic guitar over a low, mournful pedal steel swell. A soft room tone and a single deep breath.) (Verse 1) I still taste the sulfur when the midnight rain rolls in Can’t wash off the dust or where the shrapnel’s been You threw your body over mine before the wall gave way Took the fire meant for me and didn’t let me pay Now I wake up every morning in a house you never saw Walking on borrowed ground, living on borrowed law. (Verse 2) I look into the mirror at a face that should be stone Wonder why the reaper took you and left me all alone I bought your momma groceries, mowed her overgrown front lawn Sat with your kid at sunset till the daylight was all gone Doing everything I can to prove I’m worth the breath Trying to outrun the shadow of your sudden death. (Chorus) 'Cause every breath I breathe is one you gave away A ledger etched in blood and dust I carry every day I live for two, I bleed for two, beneath an open sky Hoping when my time has come I’ll finally understand why You traded your whole world so I could stand and stay— Lord, how do you live your life on a debt that can't be paid? (Verse 3) I work my knuckles to the bone until the sun goes down Keep your name alive inside this quiet border town When the darkness starts to creep and whispers in my ear I hear you say, "Don’t waste the life that kept you standing here." So I pick up the hammer, and I push through all the pain Trying to make your sacrifice mean more than just my name. (Guitar / Pedal Steel Solo) (A slow, soaring pedal steel solo rises from deep minor sadness into a bittersweet, resolute Americana acoustic progression.) (Chorus) 'Cause every breath I breathe is one you gave away A ledger etched in blood and dust I carry every day I live for two, I bleed for two, beneath an open sky Hoping when my time has come I’ll finally understand why You traded your whole world so I could stand and stay— Lord, how do you live your life on a debt that can't be paid? (Bridge) (Halftime acoustic breakdown, intimate and fragile, bare guitar notes) It ain't about the guilt... it's about the promise made. To build something worthy from the ashes where you laid. I won't let your dying be the only thing that's true... Every good deed done on this earth is done in praise of you. (Chorus) 'Cause every breath I breathe is one you gave away A ledger etched in blood and dust I carry every day I live for two, I bleed for two, beneath an open sky Hoping when my time has come I’ll finally understand why You traded your whole world so I could stand and stay— Lord, how do you live your life on a debt that can't be paid? (Outro) (Pedal steel slowly fades to a soft, lingering E-minor chord) Living for two... Carrying the line... Rest easy, brother... I’ll make it worth your time. (Gentle acoustic strum fades out into the quiet sound of falling rain)
