long lost ways

Yeah. I was looking at some old photos today... Didn't even recognize the kid in the frame. Wonder where he went. Probably took a left when I took a right. Long lost... yeah. ​[Verse 1] ​I’m retracing steps on a path that’s overgrown Walking through the neighborhood that I used to call my own But the porch lights are different, the faces are all new And the version of myself that I remember is through. I used to dream in color, now I’m thinking in the grey Lost the rhythm of the heart, traded passion for the pay I’m a stranger to the kid who used to run without a coat Now I’m sinking in the water while I’m trying to stay afloat. Where’s the hunger? Where’s the fire? Where’s the "never say die"? Now it’s just "maybe later" and a heavy-handed sigh. I’m searching for the blueprint, the map of where I’ve been But the ink is all faded and the paper’s getting thin. ​[Chorus] ​Searching for my long lost ways Counting back the minutes and the months and the days I’m a ghost in my own skin, looking for the light Trying to find the morning in the middle of the night. Yeah, I’m haunted by the "used to be" and "could have been" instead Walking down a road that only lives inside my head Trying to find my long lost ways... (Searching for the person that I was...) ​[Verse 2] ​I remember when the world felt small enough to hold Before the cynicism hit and the engine started cold We were kings of the concrete, giants on the block Now I’m just another second ticking on a broken clock. I traded in my spirit for a suit and a routine Now I’m caught in the gears of a cold, grey machine I miss the way I used to speak without a second thought Before I learned the price of every lesson that I bought. I see him in the mirror—just a glimpse, then he’s gone Like a shadow in the sunset right before the dark comes on I wanna reach back, grab him by the collar, tell him "Stay" But the wind just keeps blowing all the memories away. ​[Bridge] ​(Music slows down, bass gets deeper) Is it growth? Or am I just getting hollow? Is there a lead? Or am I just trying to follow? I left a trail of breadcrumbs but the birds ate 'em all Now I’m standing at the edge, waiting for the call. (I'm coming back... I think I'm coming back...) ​[Chorus] ​Searching for my long lost ways Counting back the minutes and the months and the days I’m a ghost in my own skin, looking for the light Trying to find the morning in the middle of the night. Yeah, I’m haunted by the "used to be" and "could have been" instead Walking down a road that only lives inside my head Trying to find my long lost ways... ​[Outro] ​(The trumpet returns, fading out slowly) Turn the lights down. I think I see him. Just around the corner of who I used to be. Don't let me forget... Don't let the "now" bury the "then." Long lost... But not gone.