[Intro - Spoken, quiet fingerpicked acoustic guitar] You know... We spent generations trying to make life easier. Built machines to do the work. Built roads to take us farther. Built systems to keep us safe. And somewhere along the way... We got just about everything we wanted. Funny thing is... I wonder if we remembered what we wanted it for. [Verse 1 - Soft, weathered vocals] There was a time when the doors stayed open, When a man's word was a promise unbroken. When neighbors knew the names next door, And nobody needed much more. We worked the land, we worked our hands, Built our homes and made our stands. Didn't have much, but we had enough, And somehow that made us tough. Now the fields are gone, the fences are high, We barely look a stranger in the eye. Got a thousand friends on a glowing screen, But nobody knows what loneliness means. [Pre-Chorus - Gentle build] We built a world to set us free, But chained ourselves to what we need. And every step that brought us here, Left something behind we once held dear. [Chorus - Full raspy vocals, warm acoustic rhythm] Before we forgot how to live, Before we forgot how to give. Before we traded what was true, For all the things we thought we knew. Before the world got lost in more, Before we locked another door. We had so little, but somehow a lot, Back before we forgot. Oh, before we forgot. [Verse 2 - Steady rhythm, reflective] We used to fix what had been broken, Now we replace what's barely opened. We used to save for a rainy day, Now we borrow tomorrow to pay for today. We traded patience for a faster line, And sold our hours to buy more time. Got a thousand ways to make things easy, But nothing seems to satisfy me. And the children grow beneath a screen, Learning everything except what it means To build a fire, to plant a seed, To know the difference between want and need. [Pre-Chorus - Stronger emotion] We gave them comfort, gave them things, But did we teach them how to spread their wings? We built a world without the pain, But never taught them how to stand in rain. [Chorus - Stronger, layered acoustic guitars] Before we forgot how to live, Before we forgot how to give. Before we traded what was true, For all the things we thought we knew. Before the world got lost in more, Before we locked another door. We had so little, but somehow a lot, Back before we forgot. Oh, before we forgot. [Verse 3 - Intimate, stripped back] Now there's a price on everything, Even the peace that silence brings. A place to sleep, a patch of ground, A little freedom to move around. We ask permission to build a home, To raise our food, to live alone. And when the systems begin to fail, We wonder who will come to our aid. But I don't blame the world we've made, Or every comfort along the way. It's not the progress that troubles me, It's forgetting who we ought to be. [Bridge - Music drops, vulnerable vocals] Maybe the past wasn't all that kind, Maybe we've left some good behind. There were hungry mouths and harder days, And plenty of reasons to change our ways. I don't want to turn back time, Or trade tomorrow for yesterday's life. I just wonder if we could find The things we lost along the climb. 'Cause freedom isn't having it all, It's knowing what matters when kingdoms fall. And wealth isn't measured by what we own, But the lives we touch before we're gone. [Instrumental - Emotional acoustic guitar and harmonica] [Verse 4 - Hopeful, slowly building] So maybe we start with a helping hand, A little more giving, a little less demand. Teach our children to work and grow, To question the things they think they know. Plant a garden, mend a fence, Spend a little time making sense. Know your neighbor, keep your word, Listen a little more than you've heard. And when the world comes asking for more, Remember what we're living for. It's not the things that fill our shelves, It's what we give beyond ourselves. [Final Chorus - Passionate, uplifting] Before we forgot how to live, Before we forgot how to give. Before we traded what was true, For all the things we thought we knew. We don't have to lose ourselves, Or measure our worth by someone else's wealth. There's still a world worth holding on to, And a little good that we can do. We had so little, but somehow a lot, And maybe it's time we remembered... What we forgot. [Outro - Spoken, soft guitar fading] I don't think we need to go backward. I think we just need to remember... What made moving forward worthwhile. [End]
