(Verse 1) We hit a pothole back in January,heard a knock in the frame You said it was nothing,just the radio, so I swallowed the pain Of that gnawing little feeling,I just turned up the dial Drowned out the rattle with a forced and a fragile smile I memorized the route, learned to steer into the sway I got real good at ignoring the things we didn't say (Chorus) But that check engine light’s been glowin’like a tiny, angry sun A steady,silent warning since the damage had begun I’ve been patching holes with promises and filling cracks with hope But you can’t outdrive the truth,no you can’t outrun the smoke This ain’t the crash,it’s the pullin’ over The turning off the key onto the shoulder Yeah,the end is just me getting colder But that check engine light…it already won. (Verse 2) I changed the oil with good intentions,rotated the tires with care I detailed the interior to try and pretend it was fair But the GPS is rerouting to a destination unknown And the hum of the engine has become a low and lonely moan We’re running on the fumes of a half-forgotten dream And the road ahead of us is splitting at the seam (Chorus) ‘Cause that check engine light’s been glowin’like a tiny, angry sun A steady,silent warning since the damage had begun I’ve been patching holes with promises and filling cracks with hope But you can’t outdrive the truth,no you can’t outrun the smoke This ain’t the crash,it’s the pullin’ over The turning off the key onto the shoulder Yeah,the end is just me getting colder But that check engine light…it already won. (Bridge) And maybe somewhere there’s a mechanic who could have fixed what we broke With the right tools,the right words, a well-timed tender joke But I’m tired of the diagnostics,the guessing what it needs We’re just bleeding out the mileage on a list of outdated deeds (Final Chorus) So that check engine light can finally fade to black I’m leaving the keys right here on the visor,I’m not looking back I patched the holes with promises and filled the cracks with hope But you can’t outdrive the truth,no you can’t outrun the smoke This was never the crash,just the pullin’ over Me finally turning off the key onto the shoulder Yeah,the end is just me getting older But that check engine light…it finally won. (Outro) (Sound of a single car door closing softly, then footsteps walking away on gravel. A final, distant synth note fades.) It finally won.
