(hold on)

I know this stretch of road too well
Same guardrail, same motel
Sign still leaning just like me
Like it remembers everything

You said “pull over,” voice shaking
Like the words were already breaking
I left the engine running just in case
Like I thought I could escape

Funny how one wrong turn
Can change what forever means

Exit 143
I still slow down every time
Even when I swear I’m past you
Even when I say I’m fine
That was the night we let it bleed
Said things we couldn’t unsay
I don’t miss who I was back then
But I miss you anyway
Yeah, Exit 143

Headlights cutting through the rain
Every word still sounds the same
We tried to keep it civil, calm
Like damage don’t leave marks

You stared out the passenger side
Like you were already gone
I watched your breath fog up the glass
That was the moment we didn’t last

I’ve driven miles to outrun it
But memory don’t need directions

Exit 143
I still slow down every time
Even when I swear I’m past you
Even when I say I’m fine
That was the night we let it bleed
Said things we couldn’t unsay
I don’t miss who I was back then
But I miss you anyway
Yeah, Exit 143

If I’d stayed quiet, would we still be us?
Or was it already coming undone?
Some endings choose you first
And all you do is confirm the hurt

I don’t blame you, I don’t blame me
We were tired of fighting gravity
Love don’t die, it just retreats
Into places you still feel it breathe

Exit 143
That’s the night I learned the truth
Some goodbyes don’t fade with distance
They just learn to wait on you
I’ve made peace with who I am
With the roads I didn’t take
I don’t miss who I was back then
But I miss you anyway

Still slowing down…