Lyric

I kept my hands in my pockets

Kept my words all neat

Thought if I stayed halfway distant

I could keep my heart complete

You stood there with your open face

Like rain on a borrowed coat

I had the whole world in my mouth

But I swallowed every note

And now I know

What I should have known

A gentle touch

Can still leave a bone

I learned the soft way late

I learned the soft way late

When I had you in my hands

I let the moment break

I learned the soft way late

I learned the soft way late

Now tenderness feels like home

After the door was shut and stayed

There’s a white mug by the sink

Still chipped where you set it down

I pass it like a warning sign

In a quiet empty house

The good things ask for timing

Not a promise from a man

I was slow with the truth of you

Too proud to understand

And now I know

What I should have known

A simple love

Can still go cold

I learned the soft way late

I learned the soft way late

When I had you in my hands

I let the moment break

I learned the soft way late

I learned the soft way late

Now tenderness feels like home

After the door was shut and stayed

If I could call you back

I’d speak in smaller words

I’d hold the hurtful edges

Till they didn’t hurt

I’d meet you where you were

Not where my pride had been

But time don’t circle back

It only walks you in

I learned the soft way late

I learned the soft way late

When I had you in my hands

I let the moment break

I learned the soft way late

I learned the soft way late

Now tenderness feels like home

After the door was shut and stayed

Soft way late

Too late to save

Soft way late

But not too late to change