[Intro] [Clean electric guitar; intimate solo male vocal] I gave you the keys in your second week knowing you'd never turn one [Verse 1] [Full band enters; driving rhythm; conversational melody] That's not what they were for I was buying a little more of you before the world came asking for you back Nobody showed up here for what I know they showed up 'cause the room felt like you Every "hey, you up?" at three a.m. from every kid who wasn't doing good went to you, and I never asked how you held it I let you be the bright part like it was free You were younger, you had better places to be and that's the point — that was always the point [Chorus] [Wide guitars; soaring lead; soft self-harmony responses] I'm not gonna tell you what to do (you've heard it, you've heard it, you've heard it) I'm not gonna tell you what to do (you've heard it, you've heard it, you've heard it) Go on, go do the better thing I'll be here longer than you I'll be here longer than you [Verse 2] [Driving full band; clear lead; natural breathing between phrases] I remember the day you joined and you never logged off 'til you had to — always the same number of weeks and I could feel you coming back before you did like a dog that hears the car before the street You missed Christmas that year, and your birthday and the ball drop, and you still came back Now nothing's keeping you gone but you and you're not doing as good as I hoped that's not my call, that's not my call and I'm not gonna— [Chorus] [Wide guitars; soaring lead; soft self-harmony responses] I'm not gonna tell you what to do (you've heard it, you've heard it, you've heard it) I'm not gonna tell you what to do (you've heard it, you've heard it, you've heard it) Go on, go do the better thing I'll be here longer than you I'll be here longer than you [Verse 3] [Half-time feel; restrained guitars; tense solo lead] Somebody at group's back to a pack a day and everybody jumped him like that ever helped like he hasn't heard it every day he's been alive And you crashed another car, and I said nothing I'll tell you when you're wrong about something else that's the only kind of right I've got [Bridge] [Only clean electric guitar and dry solo voice; unhurried, restrained melody] There's one I didn't feel leaving I saw him every day and I didn't feel it He'd chase one smudge for an hour then drive like he had somewhere else to be Will made it down to Florida like he always said he just wasn't living there yet No belt, no time, through the windshield on a county road in February I know the intersection — I looked it up I've driven every road out of it with my thumb four in the morning, face lit blue and I can't figure out why he was going that direction [Build] [Drums return gradually; guitars swell; lead voice starts to crack] I can't figure out why he was going that direction I know the intersection I know the intersection I just don't know why [Final Chorus] [Full band; widest guitars; raw soaring lead] I'm not gonna tell you what to do (you've heard it, you've heard it, you've heard it) I'm not gonna tell you what to do I wrote this down for no one in particular I'm hoping that it's you I'm hoping that it's you [Half-time emphasis; single lead; stretch the phrase] I will be here longer than you [Instruments drop out; close dry voice] just not like that [Outro] [Clean guitar returns softly; almost-spoken solo vocal] Go on go do the better thing go do the better thing [Final guitar chord decays after the last word] [End]
