(Verse 1)
There’s coffee brewing in an empty kitchen now
Mama’s recipe, but she ain’t around
Daddy’s old work boots still sit by the door
But his footsteps don’t echo on this floor anymore
The phone don’t ring like it used to do
Most of the numbers I can’t even call through
And that corner booth down at the diner we’d share
Every year there’s one less chair
(Chorus)
Time keeps stealing what I can’t replace
Every mirror shows a stranger’s face
With my father’s eyes and my mother’s silver hair
The room gets quiet, and there’s one less chair
One less voice, one less prayer
One less reason to pretend I don’t care
That the table’s getting smaller everywhere
And I’m learning how to breathe this thinner air
(Verse 2)
We buried Bobby just last fall
Tommy two years back, right after Paul
The mill closed down in ’09
Took half the town, then took their time
Sarah’s kids don’t know my name
Her Christmas cards don’t come the same
I keep their pictures like I’m holding on to proof
That I ain’t the only one left with the truth
(Chorus)
Time keeps stealing what I can’t replace
Every mirror shows a stranger’s face
With my father’s eyes and my mother’s silver hair
The room gets quiet, and there’s one less chair
One less voice, one less prayer
One less reason to pretend I don’t care
That the table’s getting smaller everywhere
And I’m learning how to breathe this thinner air
(Bridge)
I talk to God more than I ever did before
Ask Him why He needs them more
Than I do here on this side
Maybe I’m just not ready for that ride
(Verse 3)
So I’ll keep their stories while I still remember how
Make their favorite meals, though it’s just me now
I’ll save their seats, though I know they won’t be filled
Guess this is what it means to bend but never break your will
(Final Chorus)
Time keeps stealing what I can’t replace
But I see them all in my own face
In these trembling hands and this gray hair
I’ll hold the memory of every empty chair
Every whispered name, every answered prayer
Every soul that loved me, showed me care
The room gets smaller, but the love’s still there
I’m just learning how to breathe this thinner air
Yeah, I’m learning how to breathe
This thinner air
(Outro)
There’s coffee brewing in an empty kitchen now
But I can almost hear them gather ’round