[Intro - eerie acoustic guitar; distant fiddle; low female contralto; intimate, conversational delivery] I woke up in my bedroom With the morning light ahead I reached across the sheets But found an empty bed [Verse 1 - slow spooky country groove; fingerpicked acoustic guitar; soft piano] I wandered into the living room Where we’d spent so many days I called out to my husband But he wouldn’t look my way I sat down next to him And put my hand upon his thigh He sat there staring at my picture With tears streaming from his eyes I frowned and said, “What’s wrong? Why won’t you answer me?” But he just touched my photograph And whispered, “I’ll miss you terribly” [Pre-Chorus - tension building; fiddle enters softly] I thought he was ignoring me I thought I’d done something wrong But every time I called his name He just kept looking on [Chorus - haunting; emotional lift; layered ghostly harmonies] Why won’t he look at me? Why won’t he look my way? I reach out to him and call his name But he always turns away Why can’t he hear me? Why doesn’t he care? I’m sitting right beside him But he acts like I’m not there I keep asking what I’ve done I keep wondering why Until the truth comes back to me And suddenly I realize… [Verse 2 - intimate; acoustic guitar and mournful fiddle] I went to see my daughter She was sitting on her bed I reached out to touch her shoulder But she never turned her head She was holding an old picture And I recognized the place It was me and her together One of my favorite days I said, “Baby, I’m right here” But she just began to cry She whispered, “I want my mama” And I couldn’t understand why [Pre-Chorus - building tension; low harmony] I thought she was ignoring me I thought I’d done something wrong But every time I called her name She just kept looking on [Chorus - haunting; stronger drums; layered vocals] Why won’t she look at me? Why won’t she look my way? I reach out to her and call her name But she always turns away Why can’t she hear me? Why doesn’t she care? I’m standing right beside her But she acts like I’m not there I keep asking what I’ve done I keep wondering why Until the truth comes back to me And suddenly I realize… [Bridge - dark, stripped-down; low strings; piano] I saw the newspaper Lying folded on the floor There was a picture of my face And a date from days before I read the words beneath it And my hands began to shake “Beloved wife and mother Gone too soon in a tragic fate” [Brief silence] And then I remembered… The headlights in the rain The tires losing traction The screaming brakes The sound of metal ripping And then… Nothing. [Final Chorus - haunting realization; emotional lift; soaring fiddle; layered ghostly harmonies] Now I know why they don’t answer Now I know why they don’t care They’re not trying to ignore me They just don’t know I’m right there I’ve been beside them Since the night I disappeared I thought they wanted to be left alone But now the truth is clear I finally understand it Now I know the why They weren’t ignoring me They were in mourning because… I died
