Raffia Knot (TJA)

Verse 1 Who ties wedding rings with raffia? Only us—of course it had to be that way. Your dad stepped in like a surgeon with steady hands, laughing as he cut the knot so we could finally say the words we’d thought of a hundred times— You were the sweetest part about that day. And right on cue, Grandpa cracked a beer like he was toasting before we even kissed. It wasn’t perfect, but the memory is perfect— the kind of imperfect moment I never want to miss. Pre-Chorus And even then, I knew real love would never be polished smooth. We were always better a little undone. Chorus ’Cause we can’t stay mad—never have, never will. I’ll try to look stern, but you grin, and it kills every ounce of pride I’m holding onto. One glance and I’m breaking, you’re laughing too. You plan the memories that build our life— from Disneyland sunshine to the blue Oregon tide. But at the end of the hardest days, when the world feels too wild, the most beautiful thing in the room is your smile. Verse 2 I think about Bandon—fish and oil on our clothes, arguing over fry baskets, laughing before the shift even closed. We were broke and young and learning each other in the smell of salt and chowder steam. Those days were loud, messy, honest— the kind you don’t know are golden till they turn into memories. And all those Saturdays cheering the Beavs, you tugging my arm, yelling at refs like they could hear— we weren’t just loving each other— we were building a whole "dam" life year after year. Pre-Chorus And it wasn’t neat. But God—it was real. And real has always been my favorite part of you. Chorus ’Cause we can’t stay mad—never have, never will. You raise an eyebrow and the anger stands still. We try to keep distance but we’re terrible at space— one soft look and I’m right back in place. You made the traditions that shaped our kids, all the trips, all the plans, all the little things you did. And at the end of the long days, even when I’m tired and worn— your smile feels like coming home. Bridge We’ve yelled, we’ve cried, we’ve broken and tried— but somehow, we always find our way back inside the joke we didn’t mean to tell, the laugh we didn’t mean to share, the apology that shows up in your eyes before it ever shows up in the air. Love isn’t tidy—it’s lived in, like a house full of noise. And ours has always felt like home to me, even in the storms, even in the quiet, even when we’re holding our breath just trying to choose each other. Final Chorus (Soft) We can’t stay mad—maybe we were never meant to. Every fight ends the moment I look at you. And all the miles, all the moments, all the years that we’ve got— they’re tied together still by that tiny raffia knot. At the end of the day, through everything we’ve walked through— the most beautiful thing is still you.