Everybody Gets The Better Me

[Intro — quiet acoustic guitar, close intimate vocal] I know the names of everybody’s demons, Know which doors to knock on when they hide. I can talk a stranger off a ledge, But I can’t talk myself down most nights. [Verse 1] I’m the first one there, the last one leaving, The one they call when everything goes wrong. I give a hundred and ten percent, They ask why I can’t give a little more. Funny how the extra mile gets shorter Every time somebody watches you run. Yesterday’s impossible becomes expected, And somehow I’m the selfish one. [Pre-Chorus — restrained, building] I learned to make exhaustion look like patience, Learned to laugh before they saw the strain. You’d be surprised how much a smile can carry When nobody thinks to ask about the weight. [Chorus — full band, aching melodic lift] Everybody gets the better me, The steady hands, the heart that never quits. I give the world the parts of me worth keeping, Come home to what’s left of it. Always finding silver linings Under clouds that never seem to break. But it’s even worse than it sounds, ‘Cause you get the smile and sunshine, While I’m drowning in the rain. Everybody gets the better me. I wonder what that leaves for me. [Verse 2 — drums pull back, conversational] I remember everybody’s birthdays, The little things they mentioned back in June. I know who’s scared of being forgotten, Who needs a call, who needs a room. But I can disappear for seven days And nobody will think it’s strange. They’ll just assume I’m busy helping someone, And ask for something when I come back again. I don’t need a medal for the miles, Don’t need my name in anybody’s prayers. I’d just like somebody to notice When the person who’s always there isn’t there. [Pre-Chorus — more urgent] There’s a difference between being needed And being loved for who you are. A lighthouse doesn’t mean the ocean’s gentle, Just because its light can reach that far. [Chorus — bigger, vocal begins to crack] Everybody gets the better me, The steady hands, the heart that never quits. I give the world the parts of me worth keeping, Come home to what’s left of it. Always finding silver linings Under clouds that never seem to break. But it’s even worse than it sounds, ‘Cause you get the smile and sunshine, While I’m drowning in the rain. Everybody gets the better me. I wonder what that leaves for me. [Bridge — instruments fall away, almost spoken] And God, I hate the way this sounds, Like I’m keeping score of everything I’ve done. But there’s a difference between wanting recognition And wanting to be loved without being useful to someone. What if I stopped answering? What if I let the phone just ring? Would you miss the man behind the favors, Or only miss the things he brings? [Instrumental — mournful electric guitar solo, slow crescendo] [Final Chorus — soaring, raw, slight lyrical change] Everybody got the better me, The steady hands, the heart that wouldn’t quit. I gave the world the parts of me worth keeping, And finally noticed what was left of it. Still finding silver linings, But I don’t owe the sky another sunny day. You can keep the smile I gave you, I’m learning I can put it away. ‘Cause everybody got the better me, And maybe now it’s time To save a little better me For me. [Outro — acoustic guitar, fading piano] I showed up for everybody. I wonder who’d show up for me. And if nobody does tomorrow, I’ll be there. I’ll be there for me.