Natalie Hemby / Lori McKenna

I turn the lights on in the hallway
Walk down the stairs without a bit of grace
TVs on and the weather man says
It's just another sunny day
Open the curtains in the bay window
Look at the neighbors we don't get to know
All the cars are in the turning lane
And everybody waves

All I ever do is work
All I ever do is pray
But I do know that I have for you
A love that never fades
And it's ok
If it's all I ever do

You and I were gonna leave our little town
Find a bigger city go and settle down
And finally have the chance to see our dreams
Come springing into life
You sold your guitar when the baby came
We gave her Joni as her middle name
And cluttered up the house with fisher price
Never sleeping through the night

All I ever do is work
All I ever do is pray
But I do know that I have for you
A love that never fades
And it's ok
If it's all I ever do

You finally pull into the drive way
We're both exhausted from a long day
You wrap your arms around me with a kiss
You look at me and say
All we ever do is work
All we ever do is pray
But I do know that I have for you
A love that never fades
And it's ok
If it's all I ever do
I turn the lights off in the hallway

Lori McKenna / Barry Dean

She’s crying again
You lay quiet on her chest
She knows you’re a dangerous comfort
But you haven’t broken her heart yet

She wants to feel safe again
She thinks that you understand
Maybe it’s crazy maybe it’s brave
Either way it’s a losing game

She’s hoping she’ll know what to do
With a 6 shot 22

When the only one who’s innocent is cold blue steel
For the first time someone’s listening to how she feels
Lord knows you can’t save her
You can’t stop or change her plans
Just an American revolver

You’re proof she means what she says
It’s a fairer fight with you around
To rescue her if things get so bad
There’s no other possible way out

She keeps going back and forth
Between herself and the door

When the only one who’s innocent is cold blue steel
For the first time someone’s listening to how she feels
Lord knows you can’t save her
You can’t stop or change her plans
Just an American revolver

Too late now for I’m sorry - American revolver
He’s coming up the front steps - American revolver
He’s been drinking again
She keeps going back and forth
Between herself and the door

When the only one who’s innocent is cold blue steel
But this time someone’s gonna listen to how she feels
Lord knows you can’t save her
You can’t stop or change her plans
Just an American revolver

Lori McKenna

If I could buy this town - I’d keep it small and rough
Full of 3rd shift dreamers - And high school love

I’d keep the Church of Christ - And the bowling alley open
Where the bud light signs - Crackle while they’re glowing
If I could buy this town

If I could buy one night - I wouldn’t buy the one you’d think
I’d buy the one when my eyes teared up by the light above the kitchen sink

And you held me tight - and you begged me not to cry
If I could buy the sweetness of one kiss - that’s the one I’d buy
If I could buy one night

All the money in the world couldn’t buy a drop of real love could it?
And it really shouldn’t - should it
If I could buy the stars - I’d polish them so bright

If I could buy your pain - first I’d buy the great big sea
I’d put that pain inside a box - and bury it so deep

If I could I’d buy you back - the years you worked yourself to death
I would buy and waste your suffering - until there wasn’t any left
If I could buy your pain

All the money in the world couldn’t buy a drop of real love could it?
And it really shouldn’t - should it
But I’d gladly give you every piece of my whole heart

If I could buy this town - I keep the Friday night bleachers
Full of kids falling in love - and unlikely believers

And the firefighters are there - cuz their kid’s in the game
And we don’t win too often - but that ain’t why we came
If I could buy this town

Lori McKenna

It’s finally breaking me down
To my credit I feel like I held on as long as I could
I barely recognize myself now
I’d teach my heart to lie if I thought that it would

I don’t need the whole world to think I’m special
I don’t need him to hang the stars in the sky
Pay for all my sins or save me from drowning
But wouldn’t it be nice - If he tried

It’s finally tearing me apart
An impossible mending you can’t see from the outside
No one knows where all the pieces are
Do you love me I say, “sure” he replied

I don’t need the whole world to think I’m special
I don’t need him to hang the stars in the sky
Pay for all my sins or save me from drowning
But wouldn’t it be nice

Oh wouldn’t it be nice
If his eyes would light up - when he spoke my name
If he’d run to catch me in his arms
At the end of the day

I don’t need the whole world to think I’m special
I don’t need him to pull the stars from the sky
Just to string up my name in tiny sparkling lights
But wouldn’t it be nice
Wouldn’t it be nice
If he tried

Andrew Dorff / Lori McKenna

I spend my whole life climbing ladders
Playing catch with the stars
A million miles away from disaster
And invincible unbreakable hearts

I spend my life floating backwards
And not because I want to be free
I have no choice I must surrender
Close my eyes and Jump from the dream

Cuz the world is full of ups and downs
Highs and lows ain’t that the truth
But don’t you know that’s why
God made ladders & parachutes

I’ve had love so perfect
Even Heaven looked up to see me there
And I have been so damn broken
Crashing hopelessly through thin air

Cuz the world is made up of ups and downs
Highs and lows ain’t that the truth
But don’t you know that’s why
God made ladders & parachutes

Repeat 1st chorus

Oh don’t you know that’s why
God made ladders & parachutes

Lori McKenna

The kitchen smells like orange peels
Her stomach turns like a spinning wheel
Put the baby down in her little seat
You should rest now ma’am you should eat
It ain’t right you been working all day
All us kids getting in your way
So she goes to bed as soon as the kitchens clean
That don’t mean a thing to you but it does to me

Well I don’t know if this part is true
How memories lie they way they do
But I can see her in our living room
With a smile on her face she’s dancing to
Judy Garland, Carnegie Hall, Sunday April 23rd
She said her cousin had a balcony seat
That don’t mean a thing to you but it does to me

Oh Lord, am I good enough
When this world spin as hard as it does
We both know how it shakes some people up
So how did you decide to give me so much love

She never said a word to me
About dying, about how she’d leave
In all her pain she would never cry
Me and my best friend Tina would ride our bikes
From Lelland Road up Daily Drive
We took a paper route one summer time
Tina’s mom said I was part of the family
That don’t mean a thing to you but it does to me

No one’s had a bigger say
In who I am today
I swear I’ve tried to be worthy of
The name they gave me when I was young
But I ain’t that pretty and I ain’t that brave
My kids have seen me cry
They should have given her name to my sister Marie
That don’t mean a thing to you but it does to me

Lori McKenna

You know when I’m coming home
You know when I’m coming to bed
You know when I tell you that I love you
I mean every word I said

You know I’m a bit too proud
You know that I know how to pray
You know I won’t give this up unless I have to give it up
You know I won’t walk away

But baby you’re like a diesel truck
Shifting gears and the pedals stuck
Headed straight to the edge and showing no signs of slowing
And I don’t have the luxury of knowing

You know that I like to dance
But only when I’m dancing with you
You know I must be bad at lying
Cuz I’ve only ever told you the truth

But just when I think you’re a hurricane
You freeze right over and all that rain
Turns to ice and your whole world just starts snowing
And I don’t have the luxury of knowing

Damn it must be easy
Being in love with someone so blind
Cuz - I’ll tell you right now the only thing I really know
Is that you might change your mind
Any day you could change your mind

You know when I’m coming home
You know when I’m coming to bed

Repeat chorus

And I don’t have the luxury of knowing
You know that I’m a bit too proud
You know that I know how to pray

Lori McKenna / Barry Dean

My life is a grocery store line
A “We’ll be just fine”
Don’t know how we survive, but we do

My life is an early spring snow
The last thread of hope
That I just keep hanging on to

My life is pieces of paper that I’ll get back to later
I’ll write you a story, how I ended up here
Why the little things make us and how long it takes us
To figure out what matters the most. . . . .

My life is a two dollar beer
Friday nights here
With friends that I’ve known since high school

My life is an order to go
A rainy car ride back home
And someone you love to lay next to

My Life is pieces of paper that I’ll get back to later
I’ll write you a story, how I ended up here
Why the little things make us and how long it takes us
To figure out what matters the most . . . . .

Someday well I’ll look back and wonder
Someday comes around quicker than they told you
Asking “Did I do, what I was suppose to”

In my Life
Don’t know Why the little things make us and sometimes it takes us
To damn long to figure what matters the most . . . .
My life is green grass through the snow
A sweet reckless hope

And baby I know...what matters the most

Tom Douglas / Lori McKenna / Barry Dean

They say it ain’t complicated
Any fool can understand
Until the fuse is lit and
It blows up in your hand

It all looks good on paper
Step by step, you follow the plan
In the sky watch the desperate vapor
Til It blows up in your hand

Love is rocket science
What comes up it must come down
In burning pieces on the ground
We watch it fall
Maybe love is rocket science after all

Not if, but when, you crash and burn
Somehow you survive
But you’ve touched the hem of heaven
For a time you felt alive

CHORUS

From the distance in the twilight
Love is such a beautiful thing
Dry your eyes beneath the night sky
And I’ll hold you, I’ll hold you
I’ll hold you like your dream

Love is rocket science
What comes up it must come down
In tragic pieces on the ground
It’s worth it all
Baby love is rocket science

Lori McKenna / Barry Dean

St. Peter says “You picked a real good day”
Your lungs fill back up with air - your worries float away
Jesus smiles - he’s a handsome man
He’s taller than you thought - eyes so warm - reaching out his hand

In the Holy Kingdom angels sing a hymn
For all your good behavior they handed you your crown & wings
You don’t feel the sorrow, there’s no pain no fear
don’t forget about me - don’t forget about me
I’m still down here

Everyone knew - you were on your way
Earlier than expected, said the papers that day
You saw your family - some for the very first time
There were smiling faces, strawberry cake and a welcome home sign

In the Holy Kingdom angels sing a hymn
For all your good behavior they handed you your crown & wings
You don’t feel the sorrow, there’s no pain or fear
don’t forget about me - don’t forget about me
I’m still down here

Here in the shadow-land - Here where there’s doubt
Here where we must learn to live - With what we live with out

Clouds of silver and streets of gold
Where no shadow is cast - and nobodies growing old
You find an old friends and take a walk around
But believe them when they say - “tell you one thing - just don’t look down”

In the holy kingdom - angels sing a hymn
stay there above the clouds now - don’t ever shed one tear
Don’t forget about me - don’t forget about me
I’m still down here

Lori McKenna

Next time he tries to leave I’m gonna help him to the door
Won’t be no sorrow from me cause there’s no sorrow anymore
I tried like hell to make him happy but lord I’m no magician
Just don’t know what happened to my sweet disposition

My daddy and my sister call me and say little girl you sound so tired
I wanna tell them all the truth but instead I just hide it
If ever I feel alone it is alone by my own volition
I just don’t know what happened to my sweet disposition

Sweet disposition, keeps me warm when the world gets cold
Sweet, sweet sweet disposition, when are you gonna save my soul

I believe everyone is good but I’ve been wrong a time or two
When a friend kicks you in the gut there’s not much that you can do
Oh but that friend she was never my friend
The only thing she feels is ambition
Still I’m left searching for my sweet disposition

Repeat chorus

My soul

My mother left me a wedding band and impossible shoes to fill
Something I’ve always tried to do but I know I never will
If you ask my children about me I wish in their brief description
They say I love them with a true heart and a sweet disposition
Say lord I love them with a true heart and a sweet disposition

Andrew Dorff / Lori McKenna

When you take the train to midtown to have coffee by yourself
Pull the pictures from the drawer and put them back up on the shelf

When you hear the sound of church bells
And they don’t make you wanna cry
And you’re not getting drunk just so you can hide

That’s how you know
That’s how you know

When you open up the curtains - start answering the phone
Stop driving around for hours - cuz you hate going home

When you can talk about it - even say their name
When you start thinking you’ll survive even though
You’ll never be the same

That’s how you know
That’s how you know
That’s how you know
That’s how you know

There’s no such thing as a long goodbye
When you wish it would’ve lasted your whole life

When you don’t need a cigarette or a pill to help you sleep
When you don’t end every night on the hard wood on your knees

When you wake up one morning surprised to see the world exists
And your eyes ain’t full of tears
Your heart ain’t full of bitterness

That’s how you know, that’s how you know
That’s how you know, that’s how you know

When you’re thankful that you ever knew a love this strong
When you finally find the courage to write this song

That’s how you know
That’s how you know
That’s how you know
You’re moving on

Lori McKenna

Well, they ain’t gonna make a movie
About a couple of fools like us
No one’s gonna write a book
About our little love
You don’t get your picture on the local front page
For falling in love at a reckless age no no

For saying I do when you’re 19
In a hand-me-down dress with a pawn shop ring
For having no money for a honeymoon
Cuz you’re saving it up for the baby boom
For knowing a love dies hard when it starts this young
Well, you don’t get much - no no
But you get a love song

Well, this Sunday’s sermon won’t mention
All the work we put into this love
They ain’t gonna hang a billboard
Congratulating us
For surviving every rise and fall
For being more hard headed than a wrecking ball no no

For letting me chase a hopeless dream
For giving up on trying to change me
For drinking your way so far down
I almost thought I couldn’t pull you out
But knowing the only thing harder than letting go is holding on
Well, you don’t get much - no no
But you get a love song

Next time a hurricane comes through
They won’t name it after us
And how could you paint a picture
That looked anything like love
The 6 o’clock news don’t give a damn
That by the grace of God we worked it out again

For working overtime and living week to week
For letting your dreams fall into me
For being a man with a damn true heart
I’m gonna hold you through the hardest parts
For being a love that will last - even after life is gone
You don’t get much - no no
But you get a love song