Verse 1 Found a box in my closet labeled Summer ‘14, Smelled like sunscreen and ceiling fans and energy drinks. There’s a photo of us on the swings like we owned the whole city, Didn’t know the clocks were turning, didn’t know growing up was gritty. I remember thinking life was open-ended, Like the credits only rolled when you chose to let ‘em. But the world kept spinning even when we didn’t, And the future showed up quicker than we ever predicted. Hook Look at these Polaroids — I could never destroy, Wanna keep the memory so I’ll never forget, boy. It’s bittersweet how the years got swallowed, I’m happy where I’m at, but I’m sad at what I lost. Growing up tastes like sugar melted into salt, Smiling in the snapshot, crying when it’s gone. Guess life don’t move the way you think it ought, Sometimes we get older, sometimes we just rot. Verse 2 There’s that one picture from the county fair, My bangs were crooked, your shoes had holes and flair. We looked so dumb — but in a cute kind of way, Like we swore tomorrow would match yesterday. Now we talk like strangers on separate stairwells, Pay bills, drink coffee, write emails. Cut our hair shorter ‘cause time is a razor, Learned that dreams shrink when you measure by paper. The saddest part’s not losing the people, It’s realizing the past stays unequal — The best things we lived didn’t follow us here, They stayed trapped in cameras with dust on the mirrors. Hook (refrain) Look at these Polaroids — I could never destroy, They’re proof I once had color before the world turned noise. Bittersweet how the film fades slow, Happy for the growth, sad it changed us though. Bridge We survived, yeah — but surviving ain’t thriving, Sometimes winning feels a lot like dying. Smiles in the frame look loud and sure, But life keeps proving nothing’s pure. Outro Maybe growing up is learning to hold both, The joy and the grief, the anchor and the boat. So I’ll keep my Polaroids tucked under my bed, Not to relive the past, but remember what it said.
