I Loved You Anyway

[Verse 1]
We had three mornings, maybe four,
Your paper cup beside my door.
We took the ferry past the point,
Salt on your sleeve, my hand in yours.
You showed me where the cliffs turn red,
I learned the freckles near your eyes.
The map was folded in your coat;
We let the road decide the miles.

[Pre-Chorus]
Every little hour ran thin,
Still we spent it all the way.

[Chorus]
If this is all the time we get,
Then let me keep the days we made:
Your laugh caught in the market rain,
Your shoes beside my bed till late.
I knew the goodbye had a date;
I loved you anyway.

[Verse 2]
We missed the last train out of town,
Ate peaches on the station steps.
You drew a crooked little sun
On the ticket you would never need.
At dawn, your bus pulled from the square;
You pressed my palm and said, “Be well.”
I held the warmth a mile or two,
Then watched the dust erase your trail.

[Half-Time Breakdown]
No promise could make that road turn back.
No brave words could make the morning stay.
I had your name, your borrowed scarf,
And four small days I still replay.

[Final Chorus]
If this is all the time we get,
Then let me keep the days we made:
Your laugh caught in the market rain,
Your shoes beside my bed till late.
I knew the goodbye had a date;
I loved you anyway.
I loved you anyway.

[Outro]
The ticket’s soft, the ink runs blue.
The days are gone. I still have you.