When I Last Smiled

[Intro]
A photograph turned face-down
Dust along the frame
I know I was happy once
I just forgot the name

[Verse 1]
I searched the kitchen drawer
Under receipts and spare keys
Found a ticket from October
And a note addressed to me

The ink had bled at the edges
The corners curled to brown
I read the words three times
Still couldn't place the town

[Pre-Chorus]
I walk the rooms inside my head
Counting every door
A thousand little almosts
And I can't find one more

[Chorus]
Tell me when I last smiled for real
Not for a picture, not for a deal
Was it before the taste went cold
Before I learned to hide what I feel
Tell me when I last smiled for real
I keep turning pages, lose the years
If I find that moment, let it stay
Long enough to make me disappear

[Verse 2]
There’s a voicemail with no message
Just a breath and a click
A child’s voice beyond the hallway
Saying, “Come on, you’re missing it”

I remember yellow curtains
And a plate beside the sink
Someone laughing in the next room
Right before I learned to think

[Pre-Chorus]
I walk the rooms inside my head
Counting every door
The brightest days are missing names
The quiet ones keep score

[Chorus]
Tell me when I last smiled for real
Not for a picture, not for a deal
Was it before the taste went cold
Before I learned to hide what I feel
Tell me when I last smiled for real
I keep turning pages, lose the years
If I find that moment, let it stay
Long enough to make me disappear

[Bridge]
Maybe it was rain on the bus glass
Maybe it was someone’s hand
Maybe joy was never a landmark
Maybe I missed it where I stand

I don’t need the perfect memory
I need one honest trace
A small lift at the corner of my mouth
A little warmth I can name

[Final Chorus]
Tell me when I last smiled for real
Not for a picture, not for a deal
Was it hiding in the ordinary
In a room I never learned to leave
Tell me when I last smiled for real
I keep turning pages, lose the years
If I find that moment, let it stay
Long enough to make me disappear

[Outro]
A photograph turned face-down
Dust along the frame
I know I was happy once
I’m learning how to say the name