[Intro] [Instrumental] [Verse 1] I held lightning in a bottle, heard thunder say my name Flew a kite out 500 feet of string watched the whole sky change The wind pulled hard, that little kite shrank small against the blue Then the string went slack in my hand—gone before I knew [Call] I said, "Where’d you go, lightning ?” [Response] [Guitar answers with a muddy, crying lick] [Verse 2] Years later on a beach at twelve, she stood there next to me Summer sun, love strikes, gone forever like a summer breeze those days struck like lightning, though we never knew A few slow turns of afternoon, then that summer flew [Call] I said, "Just Hold on to lighting “ [Response] [Guitar answers with a bent, sorrowful phrase] [Chorus] Lightning in a bottle, beautiful and rare Flashes bright and fast, then vanishes in air Hard to catch, harder to hold, gone before you know But I still see the lightning everywhere I go [Verse 3] The days were long when children grew, the seasons took their time Backpacks by the doorway, crayon colors on the wall Then one day the house went quiet, every room had changed its sound All that rumbling, all that thunder, gone in a flash never to be found [Call] I said, "Was I holding lighting?" [Response] [Guitar answers with a low, overdriven moan] [Verse 4] A band I’d never heard before turned a bar from cigarette smoke to gold For three minutes I was somewhere else, with lightning to hold The last note fell, the air went still, the chairs came back in view But something in that sudden strike caught me through and through [Chorus] Lightning in a bottle, beautiful and rare Flashes bright and fast, then vanishes in air Hard to catch, harder to hold, gone before you know But I still see the lightning everywhere I go [Bridge] So I sit here in the quiet, let the memories roll in slow No need to chase the wind, no need to make it stay or go Maybe you don’t see it yet, but listen close and you will know This little breath between us is lightning before it goes [Final Chorus] Lightning in a bottle, beautiful and rare Flashes bright and fast, then vanishes in air Hard to catch, harder to hold, gone before you know This moment’s in our hands right now—and I won’t let it go [Outro] Bright while it lasts, Lightning is Ours, hold on to the lightning [Guitar trails off with a final aching bend]
