[Intro: Soft fingerpicked acoustic, distant cicadas, subtle piano] Ooh... [Verse 1: intimate, nostalgic, close mic] Oh I knew this girl way back when Not another kid for miles and I needed a friend Warm summer days with nothing to do On my Super Nintendo she was player two [Verse 2] I knew she was sweet on me But I was captain of the football team you see And girls like her were just too big For all of the dreams I wanted to live in [Chorus: gentle harmony joins] And I told her my dream That my boy would one day be captain of the football team And me and my beautiful wife Live happy ever after in the pretty people life [Verse 3: softer] Emerald was her name, face in her books Beauty wasn't her thing, not by their looks She was my best friend, this she knew But I was dating the cheerleading captain What was I to do? [Chorus 2: a little more ache] And I told her I have these dreams And I told her All of these things That me and my beautiful life Need a beautiful wife [Bridge: Breakdown, minimal piano, pause] And I told her Oh I told her my dream And she understood Understood it all it seems And then... [Beat] The... Years... Go... Byeeeeee [Long held note, fading] [Verse 4: Reunion - bittersweet, slight smile in voice] Hello Emerald, how have you been? All these years gone by, it must be a sin And oh my Emerald, Emerald you look so thin No I never got married, still waiting for life to begin [Verse 5: The twist - almost spoken] And what's that? Your son's name is Dean? He plays middle linebacker and just made captain of the team For defense it's unusual but the universe it seems Has a cruel sense of humor And I appear to be in it [Final Chorus: Full band in, emotional build, voice cracking] And I told her I have these dreams And she told me All of these things This Emerald, this woman of my dreams I said have a great day But inside my soul it screams [Outro: Stripped back, raw and quiet] I should have told her [soft, breaking] I should have told her I should have told myself I felt that way too But time has passed Nothing I can doooooooo [long cracked fade] [Outro: single acoustic guitar, one piano note]
