TWENTY-EIGHT [Intro] Twenty-eight long years... Still living with the same fears... Except now they're real, and right in front of me. [Verse 1: Soft, nostalgic vocals. Clean guitars with a warm, slightly gritty tone.] We'd spend our last five dollars after school, On fountain drinks and something cheap to chew. We'd park behind the store till half past ten, And make the same dumb plans all over again. The headlights lit the cracks along the road, We'd name the towns we'd live in when we're grown. We couldn't wait to move away from here, I never thought those days would disappear. [Pre-Chorus: Emotion building. Drums open up, vocals become strained.] They ask me what I want; I draw a blank, The candles melt while everybody waits. I wish I had one Friday back with them, Before we learned to count the days in rent. [Chorus: Explosive, emotional, full-voice singing. Wide distorted guitars.] IT'S MY 28TH BIRTHDAY! AND I'M FIENDIN' IN THA WORST WAY! For what I had before. I don't need nothing more. SIMPLER TIMES AND SMALLER PLACES! MUCH MORE TIME AND MUCH LESS FACES! I miss what life once was, And miss the old me even more. I missed what life spoke of, And just kept closing doors. [Verse 2: Gritty, conversational vocals. Driving bass and restrained drums.] The rent is due the week my car breaks down, I spend my lunch break calling places 'round. The sink still leaks, the power bill went red, I sort the mail before I go to bed. Old friends send texts that say, "We oughta meet," We set a date that neither one can keep. Some nights I hear the folks upstairs at war, And wonder what I wanted all this for. [Pre-Chorus: Louder, increasingly desperate delivery.] They ask me what I want; I draw a blank, The candles melt while everybody waits. I wish I had one Friday back with them, Before we learned to count the days in rent. [Chorus: Full-band, soaring, emotionally raw.] IT'S MY 28TH BIRTHDAY! AND I'M FIENDIN' IN THA WORST WAY! For what I had before. I don't need nothing more. SIMPLER TIMES AND SMALLER PLACES! MUCH MORE TIME AND MUCH LESS FACES! I miss what life once was, And miss the old me even more. I missed what life spoke of, And just kept closing doors. [Instrumental Break: Melodic, nostalgic electric guitar lead. Let the melody breathe.] [Verse 3: Intimate, almost spoken at first. Gradually becomes hopeful.] I drove back by that store the other day, The sign was there, but half its letters fade. The kid behind the counter looked like me, Before I knew how hard a month could be. I bought two drinks and called up my old friend, He said, "You coming over?" I said, "At ten." I left the unpaid bills there by the door, And heard myself laugh like I did before. [Final Chorus: Passionate, slightly cracked vocals. Full instrumental intensity.] IT'S MY 28TH BIRTHDAY! AND I'M FIENDIN' IN THA WORST WAY! For what I had before. I don't need nothing more. SIMPLER TIMES AND SMALLER PLACES! MUCH MORE TIME AND MUCH LESS FACES! I miss what life once was, And miss the old me even more. I missed what life spoke of, And just kept closing doors. [Outro: Instruments gradually fall away. Soft, vulnerable vocals.] I thought that growing up would set me free, Instead, I lost the time I had for me. But somewhere in that town I couldn't wait to leave, There's still a little bit of who I used to be.
