Verse 1
The ambulance came after dark
With blue lights in the rain
I never thought that ordinary night
Would change my life again
We spoke of tests and doctors
And hoped she’d soon be well
But somewhere in those quiet halls
A different story fell
Verse 2
The drive back home felt endless
Though the roads were still the same
Every mile seemed unfamiliar
After hearing her name
The town was carrying on as normal
People laughed and lights still shone
Yet nothing in the world made sense
The moment she was gone
Chorus
I took the long way home that night
Beneath a darkened sky
Every road seemed strange to me
Though I’d travelled them for years gone by
I kept expecting one small sound
A key, a step, a door
The ordinary music of our lives
I’d hear no more
Verse 3
I stood alone in silence
Inside our little hall
Listening for familiar sounds
That never came at all
Her coat still hung beside me
Her book lay where she’d read
And every room still carried traces
Of the life we’d always led
Verse 4
The kettle sat upon the stove
The clock still marked the hours
The curtains stirred against the glass
Beside her favourite flowers
And suddenly I understood
What lonely really means
It’s not the grand dramatic things
It’s all the in-betweens
Bridge
People came with kindness
And words they hoped would heal
But grief is not a thing explained
It’s simply something real
For love leaves little footprints
Upon the days we share
And when the one you love has gone
You find them everywhere
Final Chorus
I took the long way home that night
The longest of my life
A man returning to a house
Without his loving wife
And time stood in the hallway
Like it didn’t know what to do
For every room still held her there
Though she was gone from view
Outro
Morning came with birdsong
And sunlight through the pane
The world began another day
Though mine had changed forever
Yet love remains in quiet things
In memories softly known
And every day that followed
Became another journey home
Lyrics Michael Forty
Voice Michael Forty