[Verse 1 — begin immediately on beat one; voice and acoustic guitar enter together] I still see that old Ford by the courthouse light We pushed it down the hill and laughed half the night Two rooms, one stove, rain tapping on the tin You spun me through the kitchen when the station drifted in We had nothing but each other and an old radio I never knew that nothing could feel so much like home [Pre-Chorus — open gradually, leaving air between lines] You whisper, “I love you” I know it isn’t a lie But I need more than a whisper To keep this love alive [Chorus — restrained open chords, warm vocal lift] If I loved you less [brief suspended silence] I’d tell you what you wanna hear I’d soften every truth And never let the hard things near But I love you too much To help you disappear [Verse 2 — return to gentle fingerpicking, greater emotional weight] You taught our little girl that dance when she was four She stood upon your work boots, laughing across the floor You held me when we laid my mother down that spring I’ve seen too much good in you to help the bottle win Tonight your bag is waiting by the kitchen door That old station’s playing, but we don’t dance anymore [Pre-Chorus — restrained ache, never accusatory] You whisper, “I’m sorry” You say this time you’ll try But I need more than a whisper To keep this love alive [Chorus — slightly firmer guitar, vocal remains intimate] If I loved you less [brief suspended silence] I’d tell you what you wanna hear I’d soften every truth And never let the hard things near But I love you too much To help you disappear [Bridge — nearly bare voice and sparse acoustic guitar] I still believe you love me I’ll answer when you call But I can’t keep breaking your fall And call that love at all [Final Chorus — strongest emotional delivery, still intimate] If I loved you less [long breath of silence] I’d tell you what you wanna hear But I love you too much To help you disappear [Final Refrain — softer; sing the written words exactly once] To help you disappear [Hard stop immediately after one short guitar resolution. No additional vocals, repeated words, ad-libs, humming, or fade-out.] To help you disappear [Final Refrain — softer; sing the written words exactly once] To help you disappear [Hard stop immediately after one short guitar resolution. No additional vocals, repeated words, ad-libs, humming, or fade-out.][Final Refrain — softer; sing the written words exactly once] To help you [Hard stop immediately after one short guitar resolution. No additional vocals, repeated words, ad-libs, humming, or fade-out.]
