[Verse 1] You left your coat on the kitchen chair With a bus ticket folded in the pocket there I read the date, then I read it twice Like paper could tell me how to make things right The kettle clicks and the floorboards lean Your old blue mug keeps a quiet scene I pack the tools in a canvas sack Take the long road out, don’t turn back [Chorus] If I run, let the road run with me If I fall, let the roots hold deep You can keep the key, keep the house, keep the rain I’ll carry the sound of your name [Verse 2] At the county line, the engine coughs A red-wing blackbird lifts and is gone My brother calls from the hardware store Says, “You sound like you don’t live there anymore” I say, “I’m learning the shape of a door, How it closes soft, how it opens more” He laughs once, then the signal breaks And the tires find every mistake [Chorus] If I run, let the road run with me If I fall, let the roots hold deep You can keep the key, keep the house, keep the rain I’ll carry the sound of your name [Bridge] There’s a wasp nest under the porch light There’s a photograph curled at the side I don’t need a clean goodbye I need one honest mile tonight [Final Chorus] If I run, let the road run with me If I fall, let the roots hold deep You can keep the key, keep the house, keep the rain I’ll carry the sound of your name [Outro] The morning finds me past the bridge With both hands steady on the ridge
