[Intro]
I still know
which side of the bed you hated.
Funny what the heart remembers
after everything else fades.
[Verse 1]
You left a coffee cup
on the windowsill that morning,
said you'd come back later
like later was guaranteed.
I watched you tie your shoes
without looking up at me,
and somehow I knew
before the door even closed.
Nothing dramatic happened.
That's what made it worse.
No shouting.
No broken glass.
No final line
worth putting in a movie.
Just a quiet little goodbye
wearing ordinary clothes.
[Pre-Chorus]
I wanted you to turn around.
You wanted me to ask you to.
Neither of us did.
That's the whole story, isn't it?
[Chorus]
THE THINGS WE NEVER SAID
STAY LOUDER THAN THE REST.
THE WORDS WE KEPT INSIDE
ARE THE ONES I HEAR THE BEST.
I COULD'VE SAID “DON'T GO.”
YOU COULD'VE SAID “I'M SCARED.”
BUT WE STOOD THERE LIKE TWO STRANGERS
WHO KNEW EACH OTHER EVERYWHERE.
The things we never said...
I think they stayed instead.
[Verse 2]
I found your old jacket
in the back of my closet.
I wore it once.
Then felt ridiculous
for liking how it smelled.
There was a receipt in the pocket
from that little place downtown
where we split one dessert
because we were saving money.
I remember laughing
when you stole the last bite.
I remember saying:
“you're impossible.”
You said:
“you love it.”
I did.
That was the problem.
I loved the things
I complained about later.
Funny how losing someone
edits all the bad parts out.
[Pre-Chorus]
I wanted you to call.
You wanted me to answer.
We both stared at our phones
and called it moving on.
[Chorus]
THE THINGS WE NEVER SAID
STAY LOUDER THAN THE REST.
THE WORDS WE KEPT INSIDE
ARE THE ONES I HEAR THE BEST.
I COULD'VE SAID “DON'T GO.”
YOU COULD'VE SAID “I'M SCARED.”
BUT WE STOOD THERE LIKE TWO STRANGERS
WHO KNEW EACH OTHER EVERYWHERE.
The things we never said...
I think they stayed instead.
[Verse 3]
I saw your sister last week.
She asked how I've been.
I said:
“Good.”
She gave me that look
people give when they know better.
Then she said
you moved to another part of town.
I smiled.
Asked something about work.
Anything except
whether you're happy.
Because I think I want you to be.
I just don't know
how much I want to hear about it.
That's not very noble.
But it's true.
And lately
I'm trying to choose truth
over looking good.
[Bridge]
[Piano and voice]
Here's what I would've said
if I was braver then:
I wasn't angry.
I was terrified.
Terrified that if I asked you to stay
and you still left...
I'd have nothing left to blame.
So I let pride
do the talking.
You let silence
finish the sentence.
And we lost something real
because neither of us wanted
to look like the one who cared more.
[Drums building]
Well...
I cared more.
There.
I said it.
[Final Chorus]
THE THINGS WE NEVER SAID
DON'T OWN ME LIKE BEFORE.
I CAN MISS WHAT WE HAD
WITHOUT WANTING IT ANYMORE.
I SHOULD'VE SAID “DON'T GO.”
YOU SHOULD'VE SAID “I'M SCARED.”
BUT MAYBE LOVE IS SOMETIMES LOSING
WHAT YOU WEREN'T READY TO REPAIR.
The things we never said...
they don't hurt the same.
I finally said them now.
Even if
you'll never hear my name.
[Outro]
I threw the coffee cup away.
Kept the jacket.
I'm still learning
what to let go.
