The Program in My Hand

[Verse 1]
I learned the bows before I learned your name
Counted every face that turned my way
The house lights rose; I held my practiced grin
Then walked alone through the side door again

[Pre-Chorus]
I kept the program folded in my coat
A list of rooms where strangers learned my name

[Chorus]
The clapping fills the room, then disappears
I turn to tell you, but you’re not here
A thousand hands can crown a borrowed name
Still, no one’s waiting when I leave the stage

[Verse 2]
The velvet seats hold dust along the seams
A paper cup, a pin beneath the beam
I saved the final bow for someone dear
The empty rows gave back the sound I feared

[Pre-Chorus]
I kept the program folded in my coat
But every printed line was just a note

[Chorus]
The clapping fills the room, then disappears
I turn to tell you, but you’re not here
A thousand hands can crown a borrowed name
Still, no one’s waiting when I leave the stage

[Bridge]
If you were here, I’d trade the standing ovation
For one small laugh out by the station
No curtain call, no plaque above the door
Just you beside me, nothing more

[Final Chorus]
The clapping fills the room, then disappears
I turn to tell you, but you’re not here
A thousand hands can crown a borrowed name
Still, no one’s waiting when I leave the stage

[Outro]
The house is dark; the program’s in my hand
I hear one last clap—and understand