[Intro: Gentle fingerpicked acoustic guitar, warm resonant bass] [Verse 1] They told me where to go, And taught me what to be. Said find yourself a steady job, And raise a family. Get a house, get a car, Put some money in the bank. Keep your head down, pay your dues, And remember who to thank. I never asked too many questions, Just followed all the signs. But somewhere down that highway, I left a dream behind. [Pre-Chorus] And the years went by like water, Running underneath a bridge. I was busy building something, Never asking what it is. [Chorus] Was this life ever mine? Or was I living someone else's time? Chasing dreams I didn't choose, Paying debts I couldn't lose. And if I had another road, Would I leave the one I've known? Or would I find that every line, Led me to this life of mine? [Verse 2] I could've chased the open road, Could've followed different stars. Could've stayed a little longer, With my head among the clouds. Could've built a thousand things, That never came to be. Could've taken all those chances, That were waiting there for me. But there's a woman in the kitchen, And some children down the hall. And the life I thought I'd missed, Isn't missing much at all. [Pre-Chorus] Still I wonder in the silence, When the house has gone to sleep. About the man I might've been, And the promises I'd keep. [Chorus] Was this life ever mine? Or was I living someone else's time? Chasing dreams I didn't choose, Paying debts I couldn't lose. And if I had another road, Would I leave the one I've known? Or would I find that every line, Led me to this life of mine? [Instrumental: Acoustic guitar builds, subtle mandolin, soft harmonica] [Verse 3] There's a photograph upon the wall, Of a younger man I knew. He had a thousand different plans, And a thousand things to do. He thought the world was waiting, For the things he'd someday make. Never knew the roads he'd travel, Or the turns that he would take. And I wonder if he'd know me, If we met along the way. Would he see a man who settled, Or the man he'd be someday? [Bridge: Instrumentation fades, intimate raspy vocals, almost spoken] I didn't choose the passing years, Or all the things that brought me here. But I chose the hands I held, And the stories that we'd tell. Maybe dreams aren't meant to stay, The same as when we're young. Maybe life is not a song, That only gets sung once. [Final Chorus: Stronger acoustic strumming, emotional strained vocals] Was this life ever mine? Or was I living someone else's time? I took the road that brought me here, Through every hope and every fear. And if I had another chance, To change the road, to change the plans, I might have chased a different sky, But I wouldn't leave this life behind. [Outro: Fingerpicked guitar, soft harmonica] There's a younger man inside me, Still wondering what could be. And an older man who's learning, What it means to just be free. I may never know the answer, To the roads I didn't find. But the life I thought belonged to them, Was always somehow mine. [Softly spoken] I just didn't know it at the time. [End: Natural acoustic guitar decay]
