[Intro] (pedal steel sigh, soft fiddle drone, single piano note repeating, 4 bars, no guitar) [Verse 1 - Male Vocal] You were the first good thing about the morning Back when mornings weren't my friend I didn't deserve a thing about you You stayed anyway We never had a five-year plan We had a kitchen and a couch And when the bottom dropped out under me You were the only thing that didn't [Pre-Chorus - Male Vocal] I spent too long not saying it So here it is, out loud [Chorus - Female Vocal] Hand in hand, hand in hand Through the dark and through the long You were every star I had above me When the whole long night went wrong And I was the song you couldn't remember But you hummed me anyway Hand in hand, hand in hand And I'd do it all again [Verse 2 - Male Vocal] You carried this whole house on your back When mine had given out Never once asked me for a thank-you Just learned to live without There's a picture somewhere from the eighties We were broke and barely grown Your hand was already on my shoulder And I was already home [Pre-Chorus - Male Vocal] I almost let you slip right past me So here it is, out loud [Chorus - Female Vocal] Hand in hand, hand in hand Through the dark and through the long You were every star I had above me When the whole long night went wrong And I was the song you couldn't remember But you hummed me anyway Hand in hand, hand in hand And I'd do it all again [Bridge - Male Vocal] (stripped to acoustic guitar and voice only) You're the air I never notice Till I'm gasping for the room You're the truest thing I fell into And I still don't know how I got to you And if I go on first Or you go on ahead Some part of us keeps walking Long after this is said [Final Chorus - Male and Female Together] (half-step lift, full band, warm soul harmonies enter) Hand in hand, hand in hand Through the dark and through the long You were every star I had above me When the whole long night went wrong And I was the song you couldn't remember But you hummed me anyway Hand in hand, hand in hand And I'd do it all again [Outro - Male Vocal alone] (naked voice, room sound only, hard cut at end) Hand in hand Hand in hand And I'd do it all again
