[VERSE 1] Helmet on the seat beside me Streetlights running down the chrome Harbor fading in the mirror I could've turned ten miles ago Take the road that hugs the water Past the houses going dark Engine steady underneath me Salt and summer in the air Your last text still on my screen Read it twice before I left Nothing heavy in the wording Still carrying it in my chest [PRE-CHORUS] Every turn puts distance behind me Every mile should clear my head But the road keeps getting longer And you're still there instead [CHORUS] I take the long way home Headlights cutting through the coast Black water running next to me Your name louder than the road I take the long way home Let the night stretch where it goes Every mile gives me more room Still I end up back with you Long way home Long way home I keep choosing the road That leaves me time to think [VERSE 2] You fit easy in the quiet That's what caught me off guard No demand to fill the silence No need to make it hard Now I notice when you're missing Notice when the room feels wrong Catch myself saving little stories Just to tell you later on That's new So is checking my phone When I know you're probably asleep So is taking half the city Just to keep the night with me [CHORUS] I take the long way home Headlights cutting through the coast Black water running next to me Your name louder than the road I take the long way home Let the night stretch where it goes Every mile gives me more room Still I end up back with you Long way home Long way home I keep choosing the road That leaves me time to think [POST-CHORUS] Wind off the water Hands on the bars One more exit One more mile Still not turning [VERSE 3] There's a diner near the shoreline You said you'd probably like I passed it twice this week already Filed it somewhere in my mind There's a song you would've laughed at Playing low inside my helmet I can hear exactly what you'd say That's becoming a habit Little things keep finding places Where they didn't live before Your coffee order Your bad jokes Your jacket hanging by my door No announcement No big moment Just more of you In ordinary things [BRIDGE] I know what I want from most things Give them time See what stays I've never needed every answer Before I let myself enjoy the day But this has weight now I can feel it In the space you leave behind So I let the road keep moving Till the thought settles in my mind [FINAL CHORUS] I take the long way home Headlights running down the coast Black water opening beside me And your name still follows close I take the long way home No reason left to rush the road Every mile gave me more room Every mile came back to you Long way home Long way home Engine low City ahead And for once I know what I'm thinking [OUTRO] The road curves inland I take the exit this time
