Loss, regret, and a small dose of reality.

The Give (Marcotte)

I didn’t mean to hesitate
When you told me you loved me
I’m sorry I asked you to wait
While I went off to find myself
Why do we complicate
Things that should be simple
You said love’s a give and take
And I only ever take

You told me when you first met me
I was like no one you’d ever known
I smiled at you uncomfortably
Then set out to prove you wrong
What made you think I belonged
High upon a pedestal
The air is thin, the landing’s hard
And I’ve always been afraid to fall

It’s not that I didn’t try
To find a way to love you back
It’s not fair to say I never
Cared enough to show you that
The give is easy
Should’ve been easy
But I’d been hiding out so long
Even when a truce was called, I
Never did call you back

Like strangers passing on the street
You catch my eye then look away
Neither one with anything they want to say

It’s dangerous to move through life
Hoping it will right itself
Enamored with the narrative
That it’s better when it’s something else
I find myself longing for
Familiar things I used to know
Wanting them so much more
Once I’ve let them go

It’s not that I didn’t try
To find a way to love you back
It’s not fair to say I never
Cared enough to show you that
The give is easy

It should’ve been easy
It should’ve been easy
I’ve been hiding out so long
Even when a truce was called, I
Never did call you back