[Intro: solo gospel piano, slow, 8 bars] [Verse 1: baritone and piano only, no other instruments] The years have drifted slowly past. Yet still the ache within me lasts. They say that time will dull the pain. Yet here I stand; I feel the strain. My tears still fall; they freely fall. And time has never healed at all. [Verse 2: Hammond organ enters low and soft.] God knows my heart, the silent ache. A burden deep I cannot shake Like shadows cast by memory Your absence whispers close to me. Through every dawn and midnight dark I search for you, a distant spark. [Chorus: organ swells, upright bass enters, still no drums] Time heals all wounds, a hollow claim. For even now, I feel the same The years roll on, the seasons change But the ache remains, the ache remains [Verse 3: pull back to piano and voice, organ holds underneath] And so I walk this path alone With silent grief my cornerstone In fleeting dreams, you reappear A ghostly whisper, even near Yet morning breaks, and you're away Leaving the ache to make the day [Chorus: same as before, a little fuller] Time heals all wounds, a hollow claim For even now, I feel the same The years roll on, the seasons change But the ache remains, the ache remains [Bridge: brushed drums enter soft, building, organ rising] I stopped my asking time to mend What only love could comprehend The ache is not my enemy It's all the love you left with me So let it stay, I'll hold it near It's proof that you were really here [Final chorus: key change up, small choir enters, full but never loud] Time heals all wounds, a hollow claim For even now, I feel the same The years roll on, the seasons change But the love remains, the love remains [Outro: choir holds, organ, ritard, lead alone on the final line] But the love remains
