THERE'S AN EMPTY CHAIR (Studio)

Lyrics

[Intro – Warm Telecaster, acoustic guitar, gentle pedal steel] [Verse 1] Friday night, the neon's burning bright Same old bar on the county line I walk on in, hear the jukebox play And see that chair where he used to stay He'd raise his glass when I hit that stage Sing every word, never act his age Now there's a space where his smile should be But I swear sometimes he's watching me [Pre-Chorus] And when the band kicks in tonight I can almost hear him shout, "That's right!" [Chorus – Strong, uplifting, melodic] There's an empty chair by the old stage light But his memory's dancing here tonight Raise 'em up, let the whole room sing For the love and the life that the good times bring Yeah, the years roll on, but the song stays true Every note brings me back to you There's an empty chair, but I know you're there In every song we share [Verse 2] He taught me chords on a beat-up six-string Said, "Son, don't chase every shiny thing" "Find your people, find your song And play it loud when the road gets long" Now the boys in the band know his favorite tune We used to play it every Saturday noon The bartender smiles and turns down the lights Says, "I think he'd love this one tonight" [Pre-Chorus] And when that old guitar starts to ring I hear his voice in everything [Chorus – Full band, rich backing harmonies] There's an empty chair by the old stage light But his memory's dancing here tonight Raise 'em up, let the whole room sing For the love and the life that the good times bring Yeah, the years roll on, but the song stays true Every note brings me back to you There's an empty chair, but I know you're there In every song we share [Instrumental Break – Melodic Telecaster solo, answered by pedal steel] [Bridge – Intimate vocal, instruments pull back] I used to think goodbye meant gone But some old voices carry on In every laugh, in every cheer I close my eyes and you're right here [Build – Drums return, crowd begins clapping] So here's to the nights we can't get back To the old six-string and the railroad tracks One more round, one more song Come on, everybody, sing along! [Final Chorus – Powerful lead vocal, full band, bar] There's an empty chair by the old stage light But his memory's dancing here tonight Raise 'em up, let the whole room sing For the love and the life that the good times bring Yeah, the years roll on, but the song stays true Every note brings me back to you There's an empty chair, but I know you're there In every song we share [Outro – Crowd harmonies, pedal steel, fading Telecaster] There's an empty chair... But you're always there... In every song we share [End]