[INTRO – 4 bars, soft fingerpicked guitar, warm room tone, no drums yet] [VERSE 1 – 8 bars, spoken word only, no singing, no vocal melody, no harmonics, no ad libs, close-mic intimate microphone presence, dry no reverb on vocals, gentle guitar and light piano underneath] Fourteen years, our dog, our girl you never asked us why just showed up every single time and stayed so close nearby No words were ever needed Love was all it took you knew exactly when to lean in just from a single look [VERSE 2 – 8 bars, sung, dynamics build slightly, soft strings enter underneath] That's the thing about a dog's love it never needs a reason it just sits beside you through every kind of season You were a once in a lifetime dog a once in a lifetime chance that changes how one sees the world with just a single glance [BRIDGE – 4 bars, sung, instrumentation thins out, near silence, vocal almost whispered] Now the house holds all this silence where your footsteps used to be but fourteen years of company means more than eyes can see [VERSE 3 – 8 bars, male voice, sung, warmth returns, strings and piano fuller, emotional lift] Some people think a dog can't understand you I think that's never been true you understood the parts of me that no one ever knew [OUTRO / FINAL VERSE – 8 bars, spoken word only, no singing, no vocal melody, no harmonics, no ad libs, close-mic intimate microphone presence, dry no reverb on vocals, instrumentation pulls back to match verse 1] So cross that rainbow bridge now there's good company up there rest easy now, our beautiful girl we will carry you always and everywhere [OUTRO TAG – 4 bars, instrumental fade, guitar motif from intro returns, fades to silence]
