[INTRO – SPOKEN] [BUBBA] Darlene… I don’t know if I ever told you this right. [DARLENE] Told me what? [BUBBA] Thank you. [DARLENE] For what? [BUBBA] For staying… when I wasn’t very easy to stay with. [HARMONICA – soft, tender phrase] [VERSE 1 – BUBBA] There were nights I came home carrying sorrow, There were mornings I couldn’t face tomorrow. I had trouble in my heart, I had darkness in my eyes, And I had a thousand ways To tell myself a lie. You could’ve walked away, You had every right, But somehow you kept A little lamp burning bright. When I couldn’t see What I could ever become, You reminded me I wasn’t finished yet. [CHORUS – BUBBA & DARLENE] [BUBBA] Darlene, you stayed— [DARLENE] I stayed. [BUBBA] When I wandered— [DARLENE] I prayed. [BUBBA] When I stumbled— [DARLENE] I waited. [BOTH] Not because the road was easy, Not because the hurt was small, But because love remembers There’s still a man behind it all. [BUBBA] Darlene, you stayed— [DARLENE] And you came home. [BOTH] Now we’re walking down this road We don’t have to walk alone. [VERSE 2 – DARLENE] I won’t pretend that I didn’t hurt, I won’t pretend that every day was easy work. There were times I cried, There were times I prayed, There were times I wondered If you’d ever change. But love ain’t blindness, And love ain’t lies, Love sometimes means Looking truth straight in the eyes. I couldn’t walk your road, I couldn’t make your choice, But I could keep the light on And give hope a voice. [CHORUS – BOTH] [BUBBA] Darlene, you stayed— [DARLENE] I stayed. [BUBBA] When I wandered— [DARLENE] I prayed. [BUBBA] When I stumbled— [DARLENE] I waited. [BOTH] Not because the road was easy, Not because the hurt was small, But because love remembers There’s still a man behind it all. [BUBBA] Darlene, you stayed— [DARLENE] And you came home. [BOTH] Now we’re walking down this road We don’t have to walk alone. [HARMONICA SOLO – BUBBA] [OLD-TIME TENDER HARMONICA SOLO] [BRIDGE – SPOKEN] [BUBBA] You know something? [DARLENE] What’s that? [BUBBA] I used to think redemption meant God giving me another chance. [DARLENE] And now? [BUBBA] Now I think sometimes He gives you people who remind you not to waste it. [DARLENE] That’s a pretty good thought. [BUBBA] Took me a while to think of it. [DARLENE] I noticed. [BOTH – LAUGH] [VERSE 3 – BUBBA] Now the morning comes softer, The old shadows are thin. I’m learning how to live With the man I’ve been. I can’t undo the damage, I can’t rewrite the years, But I can spend what’s left Making something good from here. And when I hear your voice Coming through the room, It sounds like springtime After winter’s gloom. [VERSE 4 – DARLENE] And when I hear your harmonica Answer back the dawn, I know the man I waited for Is finally moving on. Not perfect, Not finished, Not free from every scar, But walking toward the light Instead of wondering where you are. [CHORUS – FULL] Darlene, you stayed— I stayed. When I wandered— I prayed. When I stumbled— I waited. [BOTH] Not because the road was easy, Not because the hurt was small, But because love remembers There’s still a man behind it all. Darlene, you stayed— And I came home. Now we’re walking down this road We don’t have to walk alone. [BRIDGE – GOSPEL] [BUBBA] When I was lost— [DARLENE] God was there. [BUBBA] When I was broken— [DARLENE] God was there. [BUBBA] When I came home— [DARLENE] Love was there. [BOTH] And through it all, Grace was there. [FINAL CHORUS] Darlene, you stayed, And I’ll never forget. Through the darkest days And the deepest regret. I don’t know what tomorrow Will bring us down the line, But if the Lord gives me tomorrow, I’m thankful you’re mine. [BUBBA] Darlene, you stayed— [DARLENE] And you’re still here. [BOTH] So we’ll thank God together For another year. We’ll build something beautiful With the time we have left. We’ll love a little deeper, We’ll give God our best. And if that old road Comes calling again— [BUBBA] We’ll keep walking forward. [DARLENE] We’ll keep walking home. [BOTH] Together. [FINAL YODEL – GENTLE] [BUBBA] Yodel-ay-ee… [DARLENE] Yodel-ay-oh… [BOTH] Love stayed… And so did we. [OUTRO – SPOKEN] [BUBBA] Thank you, Darlene. [DARLENE] You’re welcome. [BUBBA] I mean it. [DARLENE] I know. [HARMONICA – soft closing melody] [BUBBA] Let’s go see what tomorrow’s got waiting. [DARLENE] One day at a time. [BUBBA] One day at a time.
