[Verse 1] Each morning he walks Through the schoolyard gate Eyes down and quiet, Doesn’t challenge fate Second‑hand clothes show He’s scraping by each day Laboring for hours To get minimum pay [Verse 2] He’s passed her in hallways Since junior high Where tile floors echo And years slipped by She’d toss him a grin On her way to class Delicate and beautiful Like church stained glass [Chorus 1] He adores her in silence Where no one can see Hides it away Where his dreams need to be His future is clouded By what other people see And thinks, “What would she want With a poor boy like me?” [Verse 3] Picked up late-night shifts At the local Dairy Mart Found a job at the library When someone said he was smart He knew school was the way To leave that town in the past Could’ve earned straight A’s But his time went by too fast [Verse 4] It started with whispers Near the hallway’s end Someone said she’s walking home With his best friend The one who once joked “You should ask her out” Now hears him laugh And it adds to the doubt [Solo] [Chorus 2] He adores her in silence Where no one can see Tucks it away Where his hope used to be His future’s uncertain And hard to believe He thinks, “What would she want With a poor boy like me?” [Bridge] He worked and he studied Breaking his back College was challenging Though drive he didn’t lack The boy who came from nothing Grew into something new He found love and built a family His dreams coming true A partner, a parent With no trace of the pain The years away from home He never looked back again [Verse 5] Till one quiet day He got an afternoon call The memories came flooding Was not prepared for this at all But the man he grew to be Knew the right thing to do When a voice from the past, Simply asked“How are you?” [Verse 6] After all these years She’s in town for a day Turns out that their jobs Are nearly the same She says, “just old friends, If you’ve got the time” He smiles, says he does And adds “I’m doing fine” [Outro] He adored her in silence Where no one could see Tucked it away Where his shame used to be Now life’s filled the pages He lets everyone see He smiles, “I did pretty well For a poor boy like me” Yeah, I did pretty well For a poor boy like me
