[verse 1] Your shoes showed up muddied by the back porch swing Half-tied laces and a plastic ring You were chasing June bugs through the evening heat Calling my name like I’d always be. [verse 2] Your hand still fits like a sparrow there Inside my palm like it’s built for care But I swear last week you were half this size Now I catch tomorrow in your eyes. [chorus] So I’m counting freckles, counting bedtime prayers Counting all the ways you still need me there ‘Cause I know these days don’t ask, they just go Like rain through pines or the first light snow And I’m terrified of blinking, terrified of breath Scared I’ll miss who you become while I’m busy who comes next So I’m holding this moment like borrowed gold Trying not to miss you growing old. [verse 3] There’s a dinosaur left by the kitchen chair A little ghost that says you were there And your laugh still echoes down the hall Like this house was built to hold it all. [verse 4] Some nights I stand by your bedroom door Hear your dreams through the floorboards snore And wonder when the day will come too fast When you stop reaching back for my hand to grasp. [chorus] So I’m counting freckles, counting scraped-up knees Counting every “watch this” carried on the breeze ‘Cause childhood don’t wave, it just rolls on by Like fencepost shadows in July And I’m terrified of deadlines, terrified of screens Scared I’ll trade your little years for things that don’t mean a thing So I’m learning to slow down, learning to hold Trying not to miss you growing old. [bridge] One day the driveway’s gonna stay too still No bike laid down on the front hill No small shoes kicked off by the stairs Just silence settling in the air So if time’s a thief, I’m locking doors Dropping my phone, getting down on floors For one more story, one more spin Before the little moments end. [final chorus] So I’m counting freckles, counting firefly nights Counting every tear and every Christmas light ‘Cause I know one day these days’ll be The ones that come back haunting me And I’d rather lose sleep than lose your years Rather hold you close than chase my fears So I’ll be here — muddy hands to gray-haired gold I won’t miss you growing old. [outro] So run wild, my love, I’ll keep pace Through every season, every age And when I can’t carry you, I’ll still walk close. You are the prayer I get to keep The reason I look up from me And I won’t miss the wonder while it grows. [final line, voice only] I won’t miss the wonder while it grows. I won’t miss the wonder while it grows.
