I Kept the Porch Lights Burning

[Verse 1]
I kept the porch light burning
Though the fuse had blown again
You were sleeping through December
With your robe beside the bed
So I took the long way past the quarry
Where the old road gave way
So you could wake up to coffee
And one less thing to face

[Pre-Chorus]
I never called it courage
I just knew what I could bear

[Chorus]
I went through the fire with my arms open wide
I put the heat on me and kept it from your side
When the world came hard at us, I stood in the door
Took all the broken pieces, you left scattered on the floor
Baby, you don't owe me a medal, you don't owe me a prayer
I just promise when your final peace finds you, you won't face it alone there

[Verse 2]

I learned the sound of tires
On wet gravel after rain
I learned to read the doctor's silence
Before he said your name
I signed away all my Sundays
For a room beneath the stairs
Then I tucked the truth inside me
And combed the knots from your hair.

[Pre-Chorus]
Some hearts are built for shelter
Some are built to disappear

[Chorus]
I went through the fire with my arms  open wide
I put the heat on me and kept it from your side
When the world came hard at us, I stood in the door
Took all the broken pieces, you left scattered on the floor
Baby, you don't owe me a medal, you don't owe me a prayer
I just promise when your final peace finds you, you won't face it alone there

[Bridge]
And if I ever look tired
If my voice cracks  low
Don't mistake the quiet
For regret about the road
I would choose you in the wreckage
I would choose you in the rain
Not because I wasn't frightened
Because love outlasts the pain

[Final Chorus]
I went through the fire with my arms open wide
I put the heat on me and kept it from your side
When the world came hard at us, I stood in the door
Took all the broken pieces, you left scattered on the floor
Baby, you don't owe me a medal, you don't owe me a prayer
I just promise when your final peace finds you, you won't face it alone there

[Outro]
I kept the porch light burning
But i can turn it off tonight
I went through hell before you
So you could make it to the light