Before the Morning

The city sleeps… But I don’t. I watched the headlights cross the wall, Three in the morning, none to call. The ceiling turned from black to grey, Another night I gave away. I poured the coffee, watched it cool, Like every promise we once knew. Your photograph was face down near the bed, But I could still remember what you said. I thought that time would make it clear, Would wash away the taste of fear. But every year that passes by Just teaches old regrets to hide. And maybe I was chasing Something I could never hold, Maybe every road I followed Was a road I knew too old. Before the morning comes, Before the darkness runs, I’ll leave these memories Where they can’t follow me. Before the morning light, Before I lose the fight, I’ll turn the key, I’ll let the silence set me free. I don’t need another sign, I don’t need another lie, If tomorrow finds me here, I’ll leave it all behind. Before the morning… Before the morning comes. I took the stairs instead of the lift, Walked through the streets like something had shifted. The bars were closing, the taxis were gone, The sky was waiting somewhere beyond. A stranger smiled from across the road, For half a second, I felt less alone. She disappeared when the traffic changed, And somehow nothing felt quite the same. I passed the place where we used to meet, Rain on the pavement, smoke in the street. I heard your voice inside my head, Then realized it was a song instead. Maybe we were only Two reflections in the glass, Trying to make forever From a moment that had passed. Before the morning comes, Before the darkness runs, I’ll leave these memories Where they can’t follow me. Before the morning light, Before I lose the fight, I’ll turn the key, I’ll let the silence set me free. I don’t need another sign, I don’t need another lie, If tomorrow finds me here, I’ll leave it all behind. Before the morning… Before the morning comes. Let it fade… Let it fade… What is gone Was never mine to save. I kept a list of every place Where I could disappear without a trace. Different hotels, different towns, Different faces in different crowds. I changed the number, Changed the route, Changed every reason To figure me out. But you can’t outrun What you carry inside, Can’t cross an ocean To leave it behind. So I stopped running, Stopped counting the miles, Stopped pretending That I needed your smile. Maybe growing up Is losing the war Against the person You were before. If you could see me now, Would you recognize The boy who promised He would never say goodbye? If you could hear me now, Would you understand I wasn’t leaving you… I was trying to find myself again. Before the morning comes, Before the darkness runs, I’ll leave these memories Where they can’t follow me. Before the morning light, I finally see the signs, The road is mine, And for the first time I don’t mind. I don’t need another sign, I don’t need another lie, If tomorrow finds me here, I’ll finally leave it all behind. Before the morning… Before the morning comes. And when the morning comes… I won’t be waiting For yesterday. The city wakes. I walk away.