[Verse 1] We were making good time Which apparently bothered me The highway ran straight As far as the eye could see Then I saw a little sign Half hidden by a tree Said, “Scenic Route” And that sounded like destiny You looked at me I looked at you You said, “Don't.” I said, “Trust me. I know a shortcut.” [Refrain] I know a shortcut That's what I always say Ten minutes faster An hour the other way We'll miss the traffic We'll beat the crowd That's what I promised Before the road ran out Don't look at me like that We're doing fine I know a shortcut We're just taking our time [Verse 2] We passed the same old farmhouse At least three times by noon A man beside a tractor Started waving like he knew The signal disappeared The map gave up on us You folded your arms And I called that a lack of trust Then came a bridge Then came a gate Then came a handwritten sign: “ROAD CLOSED SINCE '98” You didn't say a word You didn't have to I said, “Interesting. I know another shortcut.” [Refrain] I know a shortcut That's what I always say Ten minutes faster An hour the other way We'll miss the traffic We'll beat the crowd That's what I promised Before the road ran out Don't look at me like that We're doing fine I know a shortcut We're just taking our time [Verse 3] By half past three We found a little town One café, one gas pump And nowhere else around We ordered something sweet And stayed there for a while You finally started laughing I pretended that was the plan The sun came through the window The coffee wasn't bad And somewhere between lost and late We found the best day we'd had [Middle Eight] Maybe getting there Was never quite the point Maybe every wrong turn Has somewhere worth stopping And maybe I was wrong Don't get used to that. [Final Refrain] I know a shortcut You know exactly where it goes Past common sense And down some unimportant road We missed the traffic We missed our plans We found a town That wasn't on the map So look at me like that I don't mind I know a shortcut And this one turned out fine Yes, I know a shortcut No, you can't have the keys. [End]
