[Intro: vintage hollow-body guitar alone, a few notes, slight reverb] [Verse 1: half-spoken, deep and plain, like telling a story] We were young and we were burning Brighter than we ever knew I kept climbing for the summit She was standing in the view She'd reach for me and I'd say soon Like time would wait for me to rest There was always one more mountain And she got whatever's left [Pre-Chorus: bass and drums enter, understated] I was right there at the table And a thousand miles away [Chorus: talk-singing, steady and plain, a little stronger] I was building a life She was living one I was waiting on tomorrow She was busy with today She never argued me to stay She just lived it anyway I was building a life And I almost missed it all [Verse 2: half-spoken, guitar and bass, quiet] Then she left, and in the emptiness The truth came walking in All the stories I'd been telling Never told me where I'd been I wasn't cruel, I wasn't careless I was just devoted wrong Gave my heart to what I was making And I made it all alone [Pre-Chorus: bass and drums, understated] I kept winning at the work And I was losing at the life [Chorus: talk-singing, steady, a little fuller] I was building a life She was living one I was waiting on tomorrow She was busy with today She never argued me to stay She just lived it anyway I was building a life And I almost missed it all [Bridge: guitar and voice only, spoken almost to himself, then the band slowly returns] You don't get many second chances Some never get a single one She gave me mine, and it gave us A family and a joy I'd never known The meaning I was chasing Was inside me all along It only showed up when it wasn't about me When it was about someone [Final Chorus: full band, warmest moment, voice deep, plain and certain] I was building a life Now I'm living one I don't wait on tomorrow I've got her and I've got today I spent my whole life making words But this love's beyond what words can say I was building a life Now I'm living one [Outro: guitar alone, voice low, spoken] Beyond words [End] Lyrics © 2026 Paul Pfanner
