Blank Pages Built

I can remember entire years

where I would've told you

nothing happened.

(another year) (still here) Yeah.

Those ones.

Wrong job, right on time every day,

Old car making sounds I learned to explain.

Tiny room, barely space for the bed,

Big plans taking up the rest of my head.

Loved somebody—then we didn't.

Tried something—then I quit it.

Started over, lost the plot,

Whole damn years I thought I'd forgot.

I kept waiting for the chapter where the story finally starts.

Didn't know somebody

was already writing my part.

THOSE WERE THE YEARS I THOUGHT DIDN’T COUNT!

Funny, they're the ones that built me now!

Every wrong turn, every nowhere town,

Every plan that went up then came back down! I

kept waiting for my life to come around—

THOSE WERE THE YEARS I THOUGHT DIDN’T COUNT!

(THEY COUNT) (THEY COUNT)

Job number three, idea number ten,

Swore every Monday I'd start again.

Different apartment, same cheap chair,

Different person saying, ‘We'll get there.’ Cars broke down,

friendships changed, Phone numbers vanished,

people moved away. Dreams I would've bet my whole life on quietly

disappeared— and somehow life went on.

Thought I was standing still.

Turns out standing still

looks different from here.

(you learned) (you changed) (you stayed) I didn't notice.

(this job won't last) (this one's gonna work) (forever) (next year) (someday)

Jesus. I really had no fucking clue.

Good.

If you'd shown that guy

where every road was going,

he might've skipped ahead.

Then he'd miss the people,

mistakes, ridiculous nights, ordinary mornings— everything that taught him how to become

me. Maybe there aren't any missing years.

(THEY ALL COUNT)

THOSE WERE THE YEARS I THOUGHT DIDN’T COUNT!

FUNNY, THEY'RE THE ONES THAT BUILT ME NOW!

Every dead-end road laid something down,

Every failed idea still turned me around!

Don't erase one damn mile from the route— THOSE WERE THE YEARS

I THOUGHT DIDN’T COUNT!

(WRONG JOB) (counted) (BAD PLAN) (counted) (BROKEN HEART) (unfortunately counted) (LOST YEARS)

No.

Just years.

I thought nothing happened.

Everything happened.