[Intro – Crooning, piano and bass] You said all you need is safety, When all I need is not feel feared. You said all you need is love, I just need to not be hated. You said you just needed to be held, I just need to hold myself together. [2-bar piano pickup] [Verse 1 – Quick, conversational crooning] I knew you before we were anything, Before forever ever had a name. I was a runaway with nowhere to sleep, You gave me somewhere to stay. Back when the nights were cold, And I didn't know where I belonged, You were already someone special, Long before we came along. I had a crush on you before I knew I'd ever even have a chance. Before eleven years of memories, Before there was any romance. And now you say I loved a version, Someone I was trying to create. But how could I have loved a fantasy Before there was anything to shape? [Pre-Chorus – Gentle strings; keep the pulse] You say I crushed the original, Melted down what made you you. Then tell me who I met back then... Was that not you? [Chorus – Warm melody, brass] Was that not you when you called me your soulmate? Was that not you when you said I was the one? Was that not you when you said you loved me More than words could ever describe? Was that not you when we held each other, When the butterflies were coming through? You can tell me how you felt, You can tell me what you went through, But you don't get to look inside my heart And tell me I never loved you. [Verse 2 – Brisk, rhythmic crooning] Eleven years, a third of your life, A thousand "ordinary" nights. Playing games until the morning, Disney movies, holding tight. Laughing at the cats together, All the stupid things they'd do. Those little moments meant the world to me, Were they not real to you? I remember every smile, Every hug and every kiss. All the things that made us happy, All the things I still miss. You told me I made you the happiest girl, That you had finally found your soulmate. So when you tell me none of it was real, What am I supposed to say? And who were you when we first met? Who were you when we first kissed? Who were you when you said forever? Was that someone who didn't exist? [Pre-Chorus 2 – Firm, rhythmic emphasis] I know I wasn't perfect. I know I caused you pain. But making mistakes and never loving you Are not the fucking same. [Chorus – Swelling strings, steady swing] Was that not you when you called me your soulmate? Was that not you when you said I was the one? Was that not you when you said you loved me More than words could ever describe? Was that not you when we held each other, When the butterflies were coming through? You can tell me how you felt, You can tell me what you went through, But you don't get to look inside my heart And tell me I never loved you. [Bridge – Quiet, quick questions; piano pulse] Tell me... Who was the original? The girl who let me stay? The girl who fell in love with me? The woman you became? Who were you when we held our son, When our whole world changed that day? When we learned to be his parents, Was that version also fake? Was my love for you then not real? Is my love for you now not real? When do you think you’ll ever feel truly like yourself? [Brief string lift; no tempo change] Eleven years of growing, Eleven years of change. Nobody stays the same forever, We're not supposed to stay the same. [Climactic Bridge – Strong, urgent crooning] You spoke in absolutes about my heart, I only asked you questions. You said I never loved the real you, So which one was I meant to mention? The girl before we started? The woman after all those years? The mother of our child? The one who held me through my tears? You can say you lost yourself! You can say you hated who you became! But you cannot tell me what I felt! Those two things are not the same! [Brief stop, then immediate pickup] [Final Chorus – Full band, ringing phrases] Was that not you when you called me your soulmate? Was that not you when you said I was the one? Was that not you when we built a life together? When we held our newborn son? If every version was somebody else, Then who was standing next to me? I never asked you to be perfect. I never needed a fantasy. You can tell me how you felt, But you can't tell me what I knew. And I know... I know... I fucking loved you. [Outro – Intimate, keep tempo] And if Spencer hears this song one day, What will those words mean to him? Will you tell him none of it was real? That his father loved a fantasy? And I'll still love you when he hears, If even that love isn't true, Then tell me, after all these years, Which version was really you? I won't pretend we were perfect. I won't pretend we didn't break. But I won't erase the good we had Because of the mistakes we made. You can rewrite how you see those years, But my heart is mine to speak. I loved you before we were together. I loved you through the ways we changed. And I loved you... Every version of you. [End cleanly]
