From Hospital Waiting Room to Global Charts: the Path of Dean Lewis's Farewell Ballad
The song's power lies in its directness. Lewis avoids elaborate poetic metaphors, choosing plainspoken, conversational language that mirrors an internal monologue:
Verse 1
Early morning, phone call rings
It's your voice, but something's changed
Doctor's talking, words hit deep
Secrets that we shouldn't keep
I see the strength behind your eyes
Trying hard to stay disguised
Tell me how to face the dawn
When everything I know is gone
Pre-Chorus
And you say, "Don't you worry about me, son"
"Just finish everything you have begun"
I'm holding your hand, but I'm losing my ground
Looking for hope where there's none to be found
Chorus
So how do I say goodbye
To someone who's been with me for my whole damn life?
You gave me my name and the shirt off your back
Taught me to walk down a beaten-up track
And I don't know how I'm supposed to stand tall
When you're the one holding me through it all
So how do I say goodbye
To someone who's been with me for my whole damn life?
Verse 2
I look at you and see myself
Old photographs upon the shelf
You worked two jobs to give us more
Now footsteps drag across the floor
I watch the fire in your chest
Tired heart that needs to rest
If I could trade my days for yours
I'd open up the heavy doors
Pre-Chorus
And you say, "Don't you cry on my shoulder today"
"You've got your own songs and stories to play"
I'm trying to smile while you're fading away
Wishing that time would just stop and delay
Chorus
So how do I say goodbye
To someone who's been with me for my whole damn life?
You gave me my name and the shirt off your back
Taught me to walk down a beaten-up track
And I don't know how I'm supposed to stand tall
When you're the one holding me through it all
So how do I say goodbye
To someone who's been with me for my whole damn life?
Bridge
There's a part of you in the way that I speak
In the stubborn old chin and the flush on my cheek
If this is the end of the road that we made
The memories linger, they never will fade
I'll carry your light when the room's growing cold
I'll tell all your stories as I'm getting old
Chorus
So how do I say goodbye
To someone who's been with me for my whole damn life?
You gave me my name and the shirt off your back
Taught me to walk down a beaten-up track
And I don't know how I'm supposed to stand tall
When you're the one holding me through it all
So how do I say goodbye
To someone who's been with me for my whole damn life?
Outro
Yeah, how do I say goodbye?
To someone who's been with me for my whole damn life?