[INTRO] [VERSE 1] [LEAD ALONE] I spent half my life Trying to arrive on time Watching everybody's clock Like it knew something about mine Then the room went quiet And the drummer let it breathe I found out late ain't always lost Sometimes late is where you feel [CHORUS] Just after the downbeat That's where my heart came in Not behind Not missing Just learning where to begin Maybe time don't walk straight Maybe truth can swing Just after the downbeat That's where I heard me [VERSE 2] I used to wear their milestones Like a watch I couldn't own Counting every open doorway Like it proved how far I'd grown I called patience hesitation Called the quiet wasting time Till I learned a life can deepen While it looks like standing still outside Some things bloom on schedule Some things answer when they're ready And a heart can miss the first beat Still come in strong and steady [CHORUS] Just after the downbeat That's where my heart came in Not behind Not missing Just learning where to begin Maybe time don't walk straight Maybe truth can swing Just after the downbeat That's where I heard me Ba-doo-bah Da-bap, da-bah-dah Shoo-be-doo Ba-dah, ba-dah-dee Mm-ba-dow Da-ree, da-bop, da-bah Shoo-wah Ba-doo-dee-dow [TRUMPET ANSWER] Da-bap-ba-dah Doo-wah [TRUMPET ANSWER] Ba-da-dee Ba-doo-dah [BRIDGE] Maybe grace has got a pocket Maybe mercy leaves some room Maybe somebody going first Doesn't mean you came too soon I don't need to beat the morning I don't need to chase the sun If I know the step I'm standing in I know where I belong [PAUSE] I was never running late I was learning my own time [VERSE 3] Now I hear the bass leave spaces For the things it doesn't say Hear the horn bend one small feeling Till it finds another way Nothing here is fighting timing Nothing begs to be ahead Every voice becomes more honest When it listens before it speaks So I quit asking every season Why it didn't move like theirs Some lives shout across the measure Mine found freedom in the air [FINAL CHORUS] Just after the downbeat That's where my heart came in Not behind Not missing I was always listening Maybe time don't walk straight Maybe truth can swing Just after the downbeat That's where I found me Mm-mm Ba-doo-bah Shoo-ba-dee Da-bah-dow Ba-dap, ba-dap Doo-bah-dee-yah Oh, ba-dee Ba-doo-dow Da-ba-dee Da-ba-dah Shoo-be-doo-wah Ba-dah Ba-dah Ba-dah-dee [BRIEF TRUMPET RESPONSE] Shoo-wah! [LEAD RETURNS TO WORDS] If you thought you missed your moment Listen closer before you leave There are places in the rhythm Only waiting can reveal You don't have to chase the first beat You don't have to force a thing Sometimes just after the downbeat That's where freedom learns to swing [OUTRO] Just after the downbeat... Ba-doo... Mm... I was right on time.
