[Intro: Felt piano, fingerpicked acoustic guitar, soft cello, gentle 6/8] [Verse 1: Male lead, intimate and conversational, close-mic] Your coat is on the kitchen chair The rain is running down the glass You set your shoes beside the doorway And say, "I'm home," as you walk past I watch you reach to light the kettle The way you always do at eight And wonder how so many small things Could make a house feel worth the wait [Chorus: Male and female duet, close harmonies on final lines] There's another pair of shoes beside the door Another heartbeat underneath these floors Someone knows the way I take my coffee Someone knows when not to ask me why And if I fall, you lift me up again There's another pair of shoes beside the door And someone on my side [Verse 2: Female lead, warm and unforced, male harmony on last line] You came home late one Tuesday evening Your shoulders heavy with the day You said, "I'm fine," and started washing A cup I'd already put away I didn't ask you for an answer I knelt to loosen your muddy laces And let the quiet stay [Chorus: Duet, alternating lines, then close harmony] There's another pair of shoes beside the door Another heartbeat underneath these floors Someone knows the way I take my coffee Someone knows when not to ask me why And if I fall, you lift me up again There's another pair of shoes beside the door And someone on my side [Instrumental: Four bars, felt piano and warm cello, strings begin to rise] [Bridge: Male lead, almost spoken at first] One day the stairs may seem much steeper [Female lead] You might forget where you left your glasses I'll still remember finding you [Male lead] Wherever you go, I will go [Female lead] Wherever you stay, I'll stay [Both, rising into a new melodic phrase] We never promised we'd be fearless Just that we'd never walk alone A cord of three is not quickly broken And we are held, we are held [Final Chorus: Full duet, broadest melody, strings lift, still no belting] There's another pair of shoes beside the door Two lives that never needed keeping score Someone knows the way I take my coffee Someone sees the years behind my eyes And when the world has taken all it can There's another pair of shoes beside the door And the Lord is on our side [Outro: Strings recede, piano and two voices close] [Male, softly] Your shoes beside my shoes [Female] The kettle's singing low [Both, almost whispered in harmony] Whatever waits outside that door We don't have to face it alone [Final piano chord, natural decay]
