[Verse 1] The truck is packed The keys are due The moving day has come Most folks would close the door And call the whole job done He patches the trim He matches the paint He sweeps the floors once more He scrubs the old oven clean enough To welcome someone new He never says a word [Verse 2] Years go by Another move An office standing bare The desks are gone The walls are scarred Dust hanging in the air He stays behind With brush and broom Long after others have left Someone will start their work there soon That thought is all he keeps [Pre-Chorus] Work Home Community Different roads to some To him they are just places Someone else is coming from [Chorus] Leave it better than before The room The road The day Leave the burden A little lighter For someone on their way You don’t need to sing your name Just try your best to leave the place A little better than before [Verse 3] Coffee warms on the stove Coats upon the wall Someone needs a meal Someone needs a ride Someone needs a job Someone needs just one person Who believes they still belong He never asks for anything Except another chair Pulled close enough To say, “Have a seat.” [Verse 4] At home he fixes what still can serve Out about in town He finds precious moments worth caring for He lives as though each place Is never his alone As though we all inherit What another used to own [Bridge] No one needs to notice No one needs to mark the time Just a steady hand at work Doing something kind Not for praise or memory Not for any reward Just a simple way of living Leave it better than before [Final Chorus] Leave it better than before A porch A park A neighborhood Leave behind fewer things Broken Leave one more reason One small token Another helping hand Leave it better than before [Outro] The paint fades again. Another hinge loosens. Another family arrives. Another stranger needs a place to begin. Wherever you go… Wherever you are… Try to leave the place A little better than before.
