[Intro: dirty fingerpicked acoustic guitar, deep gravelly male vocal, close and unpolished] I ain't here to tell you how to live Hell, I barely figured out my own I've taken roads I wouldn't recommend And stayed too long when I should've gone So if I tell you I've seen this before It ain't because I know what's coming I just know what it looks like Right before it goes wrong [Verse 1: restrained conversational vocal, acoustic guitar with low electric texture underneath] I've trusted people I shouldn't have And doubted ones who earned their place I've held my tongue to keep the peace Then hated what I let them take I've been the reason good things ended I've blamed the world when I was wrong I've watched pride turn into distance Then wondered where everybody'd gone So no, I don't have all the answers I just recognize the cost There's a difference between being wise And knowing what you've lost [Pre Chorus: bass enters, vocal grows rougher] You don't have to take my word You can learn it like I did Some lessons only make sense After you live them [Chorus: full band opens wide, powerful cracked chest vocal] I've been down where the water gets deep Where you can't see what you're standing in Where every choice looks good enough Till you find out where it ends I came back with less than I carried in But I came back knowing more I ain't telling you which way to go I'm telling you I've been there before [Verse 2: heavy restrained groove, vocal confident but never preachy] I know the sound of a closing door Before the hinges even move I know when sorry means they're sorry And when it's something people use I know a good thing can get buried Under things you meant to say And being right can get real lonely When everybody walks away I've learned some fights ain't worth the winning Some apologies come late And sometimes what you call bad luck Was every choice you wouldn't change [Pre Chorus: drums build, guitar begins to grind underneath] That don't make me any better It just means I paid attention After making every mistake Too many times to mention [Chorus: heavier guitars, vocal pushed harder with natural rasp] I've been down where the water gets deep Where you can't see what you're standing in Where every choice looks good enough Till you find out where it ends I came back with less than I carried in But I came back knowing more I ain't telling you which way to go I'm telling you I've been there before [Bridge: band drops to acoustic and low bass, exposed vulnerable vocal] Truth is I'd give back half of what I know If I could forget how I learned it Some wisdom ain't worth what it costs But you don't get to return it So when you hear something in my voice That sounds a little too sure It ain't faith It ain't prophecy I've just made that mistake before [Instrumental Build: dirty electric guitar enters slowly, drums rise underneath] [Final Chorus: instruments cut completely out for the first four lines, lead vocal fully sung alone with no music, powerful gravelly cracked chest delivery, then full rock band crashes back in explosively on “I came back” with huge drums and heavy distorted guitars] I've been down where the water gets deep Far enough to lose my way I've watched good intentions turn to reasons People use to make you stay I came back with less than I carried in And some things I can't restore I ain't telling you which way to go I'm telling you I've been there before [Final Refrain: band stays heavy, vocal commanding and weathered] I ain't telling you what's coming I'm telling you where I've been I know how this story finishes Cause I've lived the other end You can call it revelation I just call it what I know I learned to read the water Where the blackwater flows [Outro: band falls away to dirty acoustic, low gravelly vocal] Take the warning Or don't I probably wouldn't have either
