[Verse 1] He met her by the river bend With mud on his boots and a folded hand She laughed like spring in a coffee can And he knew right then, that was his plan [Verse 2] They said "I do" in a courthouse room With cheap white flowers and a red-eyed moon He'd fix that house, she'd mend his storms Two worn-out hearts kept each other warm [Pre-Chorus] Then one cold night the sky went black No warning bell, no bringin' back He stood there still, her ring in his palm Like the whole damn world went dead and calm [Chorus] Oh, he lost her name Oh, he lost his way One grave closed up And the other came to stay He died by degrees In the shape of her kiss Till heaven said, "Come on home" And he walked in with this [Verse 3] He kept her dress on the bedroom chair Kept talking soft to the empty air Year by year, his smile grew thin Like a paper cup in the pouring wind [Pre-Chorus] Friends would say, "Boy, you got to eat" He'd just shake his head, stare at his feet 'Cause every sunrise cut like a blade When the one he loved was gone away [Chorus] Oh, he lost her name Oh, he lost his way One grave closed up And the other came to stay He died by degrees In the shape of her kiss Till heaven said, "Come on home" And he walked in with this [Bridge] Up past the pearly gate and the cedar trees She was standin' there in a white-lit breeze No hurt, no year, no final prayer Just two old souls and the same old stare [Final Chorus] Oh, he found her name Oh, he found his way No grave can hold What love can save He died by degrees Now he lives in her kiss And heaven said, "Come on home" So he walked in with this [Outro] Hand in hand where the good days bloom Two broken hearts in a healed-up room They were lost on earth Now they're whole in the mist
