Carry Both Their Names

[Verse 1]
I count the yeses I gave out loud
Beside the doors I wanted to kick down
Your coat still hangs by the kitchen chair
I said I'd be there; I said I'd care
Then the room applauds and I turn to look
At the name I carved in a borrowed book
Tell me, when did wanting become a claim
On every hand that calls my name?

[Pre-Chorus]
I want to be wanted, I want to be known
I want my work to outlive my bones
But every promise has someone's face
And every road takes up its space

[Chorus]
Which voice gets the wheel when the roads divide?
The one that says, "Be loved," the one that says, "Be alive"?
The one that says, "Make something good of your time"?
Or the word I gave you when the hour was kind?
I won't call hunger holy, I won't call duty chains
I'll choose what I can answer for and carry both their names

[Verse 2]
I picture a room where the work gets done
A safer street, a table with room for one
I want to leave more than a polished stone
Some proof that the good we made was grown
Still I chase the nod from a stranger's seat
And measure my worth by a loud receipt
You touch my sleeve; I look past your eyes
As if the next bright thing could make me right

[Pre-Chorus]
I want to be wanted, I want to be known
I want my work to outlive my bones
But love is not a medal pinned on my chest
And care is not the prize for doing my best

[Chorus]
Which voice gets the wheel when the roads divide?
The one that says, "Be loved," the one that says, "Be alive"?
The one that says, "Make something good of your time"?
Or the word I gave you when the hour was kind?
I won't call hunger holy, I won't call duty chains
I'll choose what I can answer for and carry both their names

[Bridge]
No single self deserves the throne
No vow can make a heart its own
So tell the truth before you run
Ask what the cost will be to someone
Make room to fail, make room to mend
Keep your word, or speak before it ends
Let praise pass through; let love stay near
And choose again when the path gets clear

[Breakdown]
Not every want is an order
Not every promise is right
Say what I need; say what I owe
Then meet the morning with both in sight

[Final Chorus]
I take the wheel where the roads divide
I can want to be loved and still choose a life
I can build something good without worshipping shine
I can honor the promise or redraw its line
I won't call hunger holy, I won't call duty chains
I'll choose what I can answer for and carry both their names

[Outro]
The room goes quiet; your coat's still there
I put down the book and pull out a chair