Mile 43

Started out broke with my boots on wrong

Running full tilt just to prove I was strong

They said pace yourself, I said hell no

I was young and hungry, didn’t know what I didn’t know

First miles hurt, yeah they’re supposed to

Blisters on dreams, nothing comes free

You don’t coast uphill, you don’t win half fast

If you want a future, you burn through the past

Pre-Chorus

Every win took something with it

Every gain left a mark

Didn’t see it then

But I do now, looking back from here in the dark

Chorus

Another notch in the belt, another mile gone

Another lap around this burning sun

I ran it hard, I ran it blind

Thought the finish line was the prize

But somewhere between the grind and the glory

I lost a few pages of my own story

Yeah the road gave back what it took from me

But it took me forty-three

To learn what balance means

Verse 2

I chased tomorrow like it owed me money

Missed a few dinners, said “next time, honey”

Told myself I was doing it all for us

Funny how love waits, but time doesn’t

Success got heavy, carried it proud

Didn’t hear the quiet when the house went loud

You don’t feel the cost when you’re climbing fast

Only when you stop, and do the math

Pre-Chorus

They don’t warn you about the trade-offs

They just clap when you win

But every mile you gain alone

Is a mile you don’t get again

Chorus

Another notch in the belt, another mile gone

Another lap around this burning sun

I ran it hard, I ran it blind

Thought the finish line was the prize

But somewhere between the grind and the glory

I lost a few pages of my own story

Yeah the road gave back what it took from me

But it took me forty-three

To learn what balance means

Bridge

It ain’t about slowing down

It’s knowing when to stop

It ain’t quitting on the climb

It’s learning what you’ve got

Success don’t fail you

You fail what you ignore

And I don’t need another trophy

If it costs me what I’m running for

Final Chorus

So here’s to the miles that made me

And the ones I can’t redo

Here’s to working like hell

And knowing when hell’s through

I’ll still run hard, just not alone

Still chase the dream, still drive it home

But I’ll count the wins that sit with me

Not just the ones they see

Yeah I found the truth I was missing

Right here at forty-three

The road still matters

But so does who’s riding next to me

Outro

Mile marker forty-three

Still moving

Just finally free