Gone for Forever

[Intro] (Slow, haunting acoustic guitar picking) (A single, slow foot stomp hits like a heartbeat) (Deep, raspy male voice, speaking softly) The hardest lessons... They always come too late. [Verse 1] (Acoustic guitar and slow rhythm) I packed my bags and headed down the line Chasin' a paycheck, leaving you behind Came back to an empty drive and a quiet hall Just a heavy silence bouncing off the wall. You were the best thing this bruised heart ever knew And God help me, I still believe that’s true. [Pre-Chorus] (Slide guitar cries in the background, tension builds) I didn't stray, I never broke my vow But there's more than one way to break a woman down... [Chorus] (Full band drops in: heavy slow drums, deep bass, emotional gritty vocals) I let the ghosts of my past drag us in the dirt! I was reckless and miserable, drowning in my hurt! I made you pay for debts from a different time Took you for granted while you were on the line. Now I'm staring at the ashes of what used to be a fire... Lost the love of my life to my own barbed wire. [Verse 2] (Music strips back down, intimate and regretful) You packed your life while I was miles away I guess a good woman can only take so much ache Now the number is dead, the locks are all brand new You cut me out completely, and I don't even blame you. I was fighting old wars that were already done And I ended up shooting my only morning sun. [Pre-Chorus] (Slide guitar cries, tension builds) I didn't stray, I never broke my vow But there's more than one way to break a woman down... [Chorus] (Heavy, powerful, sorrowful vocals) I let the ghosts of my past drag us in the dirt! I was reckless and miserable, drowning in my hurt! I made you pay for debts from a different time Took you for granted while you were on the line. Now I'm staring at the ashes of what used to be a fire... Lost the love of my life to my own barbed wire. [Bridge] (Just the heavy stomp and a crying acoustic guitar) There ain’t no second chances coming down the road. Just a heavy, heavy cross and a lonely, quiet load. I’d trade every tomorrow to take back yesterday... But the best woman I ever knew just walked away. [Guitar Solo] (A slow, weeping, bluesy slide-guitar solo that sounds like a man crying) [Outro] (Music fades to just the lone acoustic guitar) (Vocals are exhausted, almost a whisper) Yeah, you closed the door. And I threw away the key. I took you for granted. The love of my life... Is just a memory. (Guitar plays one final, unresolved chord and fades into silence) [End]