[Verse 1 - Male] Saw a little house On that gravel road online Said, "It’s got a crooked porch But it could be yours and mine" You laughed through your coffee Said, "Baby, dream a bit bigger" I said, "Fine, how ’bout a backyard Full of kids and burnt-out sprinklers?" [Verse 1 - Female] I want birthday cakes Iced at midnight in the kitchen Tiny socks in the dryer Us too tired to finish dishes Pictures on the fridge Of every place we’ve been You holding my hand at thirty Like you did at seventeen (mm) [Chorus - Both] When we’re gray and grinning Counting wrinkles like they’re wins I want stories on the sofa Of the roads we’ve ridden since From this starter couch To a house that smells like bread I want love that keeps on talking Long after we’re in bed That’s the life I see When you’re looking back at me [Verse 2 - Male] At twenty-eight I’m thinking Cheap flights, middle seats Backpacks for luggage Blisters on our feet We’ll get lost in wrong cities Order something we can’t spell Argue over paper maps Kiss in stairwells at motels (hey) [Verse 2 - Female] Then maybe in our forties We’re driving slow, windows down Kids fighting over playlists Snacks all over this old town We’ll pull off for fireworks On some random summer night You’ll lift a sleeping shoulder Whisper, "Baby, this is the life" [Chorus - Both] When we’re gray and grinning Counting wrinkles like they’re wins I want stories on the sofa Of the roads we’ve ridden since From these red-eye flights To front-porch sunset chairs I want quiet kitchen dancing Bare feet, silver in our hair That’s the life I see When you’re looking back at me [Bridge - Female] What about the hard years? The layoffs, the slammed doors What about the slow days Where the dream feels like a chore? [Bridge - Male] Then we’ll make cheap soup on Sunday Pay the bills, fold our fears Say, "It’s us against the numbers" Hold you closer through the tears (yeah) [Bridge - Both] Every age, every season We’ll keep choosing this again From two broke kids in a hallway To old folks, best of friends [Chorus - Both] When we’re gray and grinning Counting wrinkles like they’re wins I want grandkids on the carpet Stealing spoons and dropping pins From this first "I love you" To the last porch-light we leave I want every single milestone Written where you write your dreams That’s the life I see When you’re looking back at me Yeah, that’s the life I need If you’re growing old with me (oh yeah)

country, Warm country-pop ballad with gentle acoustic guitar, soft piano, and subtle brush-kit groove; verses trade male/female leads, choruses in tight harmony. Build from intimate, almost whispered first verse into a fuller, shimmering final chorus with pedal steel swells and light organ pad. Male and female vocals, conversational phrasing, lots of close-mic detail and breath., soft, pop

When We’re Gray and Grinning