This Little Time

[Verse 1]
I found the old house key in a winter coat
The brass gone green where my thumb used to go
Dad’s pencil marks climb the kitchen frame
My head reaches past them; the dates stay the same
You ask what I’m saving the good years for
I say, “When things get quiet,” then check the door

[Pre-Chorus]
The hands keep taking what the calendar lends
I count all the roads by their missing ends

[Chorus]
The clock keeps score, but it never says when
I’ve spent more days than I’ll get again
So come sit close while the kettle runs dry
Tell me one true thing before another year flies by
I’m not done yet, I’m not done yet
But I hear every second collect its debt

[Verse 2]
Your mother’s recipe, folded and stained
Three words in the margin: “less salt, taste again”
A friend’s name waits on a message unsent
I keep choosing later like later is rent
The young ones ask how the years disappeared
I give them a smile and swallow the fear

[Pre-Chorus]
The hands keep taking what the calendar lends
I count all the roads by their missing ends

[Chorus]
The clock keeps score, but it never says when
I’ve spent more days than I’ll get again
So come sit close while the kettle runs dry
Tell me one true thing before another year flies by
I’m not done yet, I’m not done yet
But I hear every second collect its debt

[Breakdown]
Not the number—what I left unopened
Not the miles—who I meant to call
If the morning comes, let it find me present
Hands on the table, here for it all

[Final Chorus]
The clock keeps score, but it never says when
I’ve spent more days than I’ll get again
So come sit close; let the kettle go cold
We have this small hour, and it’s ours to hold
I’m not done yet, I’m not done yet
I’ll spend what remains where my heart is set

[Outro]
The key in my pocket, your hand in mine
No borrowed tomorrow—just this little time