Songs for Dan

Verse 1

Bars swing open, here you come Backpacks hit the fence and drum Nobody walks in quite like you Whole day changes with your thumb

Pre-chorus

Horns are warming, feet are tapping Whole room's waiting, hands start clapping This is the minute we've been chasing

Chorus

Dan, the gates are swinging wide Nobody's got your kind of stride We've been counting down all day Dan, get in here, join the ride

Verse 2

You never sneak in through the side You make an entrance, arms thrown wide Every year the fence rings louder Somehow you're the reason why

Chorus

Dan, the gates are swinging wide Nobody's got your kind of stride We've been counting down all day Dan, get in here, join the ride

Bridge

Blow the horns and shake the floor This is what we showed up for One more year of you walking through that door

Chorus

Dan, the gates are swinging wide Nobody's got your kind of stride We've been counting down all day Dan, get in here, join the ride

Outro

Bars still swinging, cake in hand We're glad you're here, we're glad you're Dan

Verse 1

Bottles rattle in the box tonight Green glass singing on the tar Every sound out here tonight Says how loved you really are

Pre-chorus

We've been saving this one up Something building, hard to hold Tonight we let it all come out

Chorus

Happy birthday to you, Dan Light the candles, raise the can Every year you make a plan To be the best you ever can

Verse 2

Cardboard box out on the ground Holding all we couldn't say You're the warmest thing around Turning ordinary into a great day

Pre-chorus

We've been saving this one up Something building, hard to hold Tonight we let it all come out

Chorus

Happy birthday to you, Dan Light the candles, raise the can Every year you make a plan To be the best you ever can

Bridge

However far we roam or ran We circle back to you again No one lights a room like Dan No one else could ever span

Chorus

Happy birthday to you, Dan Light the candles, raise the can Every year you make a plan To be the best you ever can

Outro

Let the bottles rattle on Here's to you when they are gone

Verse 1

Snow is falling soft tonight Streetlights flicker gold and bright Landing on the mailbox rim Every year I think of him... no, of you, of him

Verse 2

Snow is falling thick and slow Yellow light on drifting snow Something in that quiet glow Makes me glad I get to know you

Pre-chorus

Every year the flakes come down Circling lights around the town Tonight it's you they're falling for

Chorus

Happy birthday, Dan, my friend Here's to you, this day, this bend Raise a glass, we've got a plan Cheers to you, the one and only Dan

Bridge

Candles catch like streetlights do Flickering warm for only you However far the years may span We're always glad to know you, Dan

Chorus

Happy birthday, Dan, my friend Here's to you, this day, this bend Raise a glass, we've got a plan Cheers to you, the one and only Dan

Outro

Snow still falls on that old mailbox Glowing gold however far the clock

Verse 1

I pass the glass right over the heat just to cool it down for you small thing, nobody else would notice but it's the kind of thing I do

Pre-chorus

It's not the water or the steam it's how I think of you mid task every little thing becomes about you before I even have to ask

Chorus

Dan, you make the ordinary hours matter you turn the quiet into more I'd cross a room a hundred times for you, Dan that's what this loving's for

Verse 2

You never ask me why I do it you just drink it, hand in mine no big speech, no explanation needed that's the kind of love I find

Pre-chorus

It's not the water or the steam it's how I think of you mid task every little thing becomes about you before I even have to ask

Chorus

Dan, you make the ordinary hours matter you turn the quiet into more I'd cross a room a hundred times for you, Dan that's what this loving's for

Bridge

No one sees the small things that we carry the water always finds its way back cool that's how this whole thing works between us nothing dramatic, only true

Chorus

Dan, you make the ordinary hours matter you turn the quiet into more I'd cross a room a hundred times for you, Dan that's what this loving's for

Outro

I'll keep on carrying the glass over long after the toaster's cold

Verse 1

I drop a coin into the box It lands and clicks and clicks and locks That's what it feels like loving you Simple and certain, tried and true

Chorus

Dan, you're the coin I always keep Dan, you're the promise I don't sleep Some things get counted, some things spent You're the one I never meant

Verse 2

I've got a pocket full of days I spend them all in different ways But every one comes back to you Whatever else I say or do

Pre-chorus

I could stack a hundred more Shiny things I'm counting for None of them mean what you mean

Chorus

Dan, you're the coin I always keep Dan, you're the promise I don't sleep Some things get counted, some things spent You're the one I never meant

Bridge

Wood goes heavy, brass stays bright You're the sound I hear at night Small and steady, always true There's no version without you

Chorus

Dan, you're the coin I always keep Dan, you're the promise I don't sleep Some things get counted, some things spent You're the one I never meant

Outro

The box stays full, the lock stays sure You're the coin I'm keeping, Dan, for sure

Verse 1

Water running warm over my hand Grease letting go beneath the foam You pass me another plate I'd stand here all night if I can

Chorus

Dan, I chose this over anything grand Just the sink, the steam, and your hand Nobody's watching, nothing to prove Dan, this is the life I planned

Verse 2

You hum some tune you half forget The sponge turns blue foam to grey I watch you more than the dishes And I've got no regret

Pre-chorus

Nothing about this is a big deal No one would write it down But I feel it, and I need you to know

Chorus

Dan, I chose this over anything grand Just the sink, the steam, and your hand Nobody's watching, nothing to prove Dan, this is the life I planned

Bridge

Some people wait for the big moment I found mine at the sink You dry the last plate slowly Like you don't want it to end

Chorus

Dan, I chose this over anything grand Just the sink, the steam, and your hand Nobody's watching, nothing to prove Dan, this is the life I planned

Outro

Turn off the tap, leave the plate wet Dan, I'd choose this again

Verse 1

The wicker chair is creaking soft beneath the falling light and every little sway of it is tucking in the night the rug below has cradled every rock we've ever made and you are why I'll rock till every worry starts to fade

Pre-chorus

Close your eyes and let the dark come slow and kind feel the rhythm of the runners ease your busy mind there's nowhere you need be but held here, safe with me

Chorus

Dan, the night is holding you the way I always will every creak beneath us says be still, my love, be still Dan, you're worth the softest hush that ever filled a room you are worth this whole wide sky of stars and quiet moon

Verse 2

The runners slide so gently they could be the softest sigh a lullaby of wood and wool to hush a lullaby I'll keep this chair in motion till your breathing settles deep because you are the reason I would rock through any sleep

Bridge

Nothing in this room can touch the warmth we're wrapped in now no shadow dares to linger where I'm holding you somehow

Chorus

Dan, the night is holding you the way I always will every creak beneath us says be still, my love, be still Dan, you're worth the softest hush that ever filled a room you are worth this whole wide sky of stars and quiet moon

Outro

The chair has stopped its creaking now, the rug has gone so still sleep on, my Dan, I'll rock you gently whenever you need it still

Verse 1

A far white beam goes sweeping slowly over your head It slides across the ceiling while you rest in your bed Nothing out there can reach you, nothing needs to be feared Every shadow it touches turns to soft quiet instead

Pre-chorus

Close your eyes now and let the whole house grow still Let the hush settle over the top of the hill And the light keep on turning, so slow, drawing you in

Chorus

Dan, the night is only holding you the way that it can Rest inside this quiet, safe beneath a gentle plan Nothing out there wants to hurry you or rush your little span Sleep now, sleep now, easy, Dan

Verse 2

The beam will keep on turning long after you have gone to sleep Round and round above you, a promise it will keep You never have to watch it, you never have to try Just let the warm dark hold you, soft and slow and deep

Bridge

Somewhere past the window the whole wide world turns low Nothing needs your notice, there's nowhere you must go

Chorus

Dan, the night is only holding you the way that it can Rest inside this quiet, safe beneath a gentle plan Nothing out there wants to hurry you or rush your little span Sleep now, sleep now, easy, Dan

Outro

The beam will keep on sweeping long after this song ends Sleep now, little one, held by all that love intends

Verse 1

The thin white curtains lift and settle soft against the glass tonight Breathing slow with the hush of a house that finally lets you rest You are held here safer than a candle sheltered from the wind's light This whole quiet room was built to hold you gently to my chest

Chorus

Sleep now, Dan, the dark is only kindness dressed in grey Close your eyes, Dan, and let the whole wide world just drift away Nothing here can reach you, nothing here can lead you far astray You are loved beyond the counting of a single, endless day

Verse 2

The window breathes in time with every rise and fall you make Soft as curtains swaying gently over dreams you're drifting through Nothing in this room will stir enough to make you wake Only love keeping watch here quietly beside you

Pre-chorus

Somewhere past the glass the night is settling low and slow Wrapping round this little room with all the peace it owns And still I feel this fondness for you only grow

Chorus

Sleep now, Dan, the dark is only kindness dressed in grey Close your eyes, Dan, and let the whole wide world just drift away Nothing here can reach you, nothing here can lead you far astray You are loved beyond the counting of a single, endless day

Bridge

Let the soft night carry all your worries out of sight You are cradled, you are certain, you are held here warm and tight

Chorus

Sleep now, Dan, the dark is only kindness dressed in grey Close your eyes, Dan, and let the whole wide world just drift away Nothing here can reach you, nothing here can lead you far astray You are loved beyond the counting of a single, endless day

Outro

The curtains settle still now, softly guarding where you lie Sleep on, Dan, held safe here beneath a calm and steady sky