What We Gave Each Other Stays

[Verse 1]
You met me where the river bends
With paper tickets in your hand
We missed the train, we took the long way
And found a bakery still warm
You laughed until your shoulders shook
I learned to say what I had meant
Some evenings last beyond their hour
Though every road will turn again

[Chorus]
What we gave each other stays
In the courage that we grew
In the jokes I still remember
In the kinder things I do
Not every bond is built to last
But none of it was passing through
I carry what was bright and true
And hope the same lives on in you

[Verse 2]
You taught me how to mend a sleeve
I showed you where the herons fed
We traded songs and honest questions
And let the silence rest between
Then one day, miles began to gather
No villain, no one to accuse
Just two lives opening outward
With all we’d learned still coming through

[Chorus]
What we gave each other stays
In the courage that we grew
In the jokes I still remember
In the kinder things I do
Not every bond is built to last
But none of it was passing through
I carry what was bright and true
And hope the same lives on in you

[Outro]
If our paths cross years from now
I’ll know the laugh before the face
And thank the time we got to share
For changing how I give and take