The Board Stays Still

[Verse 1] I keep the names in a paper sleeve, Old little kingdoms I couldn't keep. One took my queen, one held the line, One never made it past the design. I replay the turns on the kitchen floor, Then close the box; I don't score anymore. [Pre-Chorus] Some doors stayed drawn in pencil gray, Some hands let go and walked away. I won't call the almost a debt I owe; The board is clear, and it's time to go. [Chorus] I set the pieces down, let the last move rest, No more asking what-if of the unplayed chess. What was mine has passed; what won't be can be, I leave that little kingdom and return to me. I set the pieces down, let the old game end, Not every road I wanted was a road to a friend. The board can hold its silence; I can turn and go— There are lives beyond the squares I used to know. [Verse 2] A pawn can cross the board and change its name, But I don't need to win to leave the game. The almost-love still mattered for a while; I keep the lesson, not the waiting smile. No villain in the pieces, no secret sign, Just two paths meeting once, then drawing their lines. [Bridge] I bless the turns that brought me here, The missed ones too; I see them clear. Hands open, shoulders finally free— The next move belongs to me. [Final Chorus] I set the pieces down, let the last move rest, No more asking what-if of the unplayed chess. What was mine has passed; what won't be can be, I leave that little kingdom and return to me. [Outro] The board stays still. I walk on free.