What we where, What we are
Reflective, mid‑tempo atmospheric folk ballad with restrained dynamics and emotional weight. Instrumentation is minimal and spacious: warm acoustic guitar, subtle piano, low ambient pads, and gentle percussion that breathes rather than drives. Lead vocal is deep, raw, gritty, gravel‑rough, and unmistakably cowboy — weathered, lived‑in, and honest, with a low register that carries quiet authority and emotional restraint. Delivery feels reflective and grounded, never dramatic, like a man looking back across years of change. Harmonies are sparse and human, slightly rough, supporting without smoothing the edges. Production is open and cinematic, allowing silence and space to speak. Mood is thoughtful, grounded, and contemplative, exploring what was, what is, and the distance between, without resolution or sentimentality.
What we where, What we are
Reflective, mid‑tempo atmospheric folk ballad with restrained dynamics and emotional weight. Instrumentation is minimal and spacious: warm acoustic guitar, subtle piano, low ambient pads, and gentle percussion that breathes rather than drives. Lead vocal is deep, raw, gritty, gravel‑rough, and unmistakably cowboy — weathered, lived‑in, and honest, with a low register that carries quiet authority and emotional restraint. Delivery feels reflective and grounded, never dramatic, like a man looking back across years of change. Harmonies are sparse and human, slightly rough, supporting without smoothing the edges. Production is open and cinematic, allowing silence and space to speak. Mood is thoughtful, grounded, and contemplative, exploring what was, what is, and the distance between, without resolution or sentimentality.
Lyrics
Verse 1
There was a time we spoke in whispers,
When the night felt wide and kind.
We believed the road was endless,
And the truth was easy to find.
We wore hope like it was armour,
Never questioned what it cost—
We didn’t know what we were holding,
Till we felt what we had lost.
Chorus
This is what we were,
This is what we are.
Standing in the distance
Between the near and far.
We carry all the echoes
Of the fire and the scars—
This is what we were,
This is what we are.
Verse 2
There was a time we trusted daylight,
Thought the morning always came.
We called comfort “understanding,”
Called survival “no shame.”
But the years don’t ask permission,
They just take and rearrange—
Now we measure every promise
By how little things can change.
Chorus
This is what we were,
This is what we are.
Standing in the distance
Between the near and far.
We carry all the echoes
Of the fire and the scars—
This is what we were,
This is what we are.
Verse 3
Now the silence speaks much louder
Than the words we used to say.
We’ve learned how to keep moving
While pretending we’re okay.
We don’t dream the way we used to,
We don’t break the way we did—
We’ve learned how to live with questions
We were never taught to live with.
Chorus
This is what we were,
This is what we are.
Standing in the distance
Between the near and far.
We carry all the echoes
Of the fire and the scars—
This is what we were,
This is what we are.
Verse 4
Somewhere underneath the weight of it,
There’s a truth we still defend—
That we’re more than just the damage,
More than how the stories end.
We’re still breathing, still becoming,
Still learning who we are—
Not the ghosts of who we used to be,
But not yet who we are.
Chorus
This is what we were,
This is what we are.
Standing in the distance
Between the near and far.
We carry all the echoes
Of the fire and the scars—
This is what we were,
This is what we are.
Bridge
Maybe truth was never simple,
Maybe faith was never clean.
Maybe growing up just means
Living somewhere in between.
Not the fire, not the ashes,
Not the answers, not the doubt—
Just the courage to keep walking
When the light goes in and out.
Final Chorus
This is what we were,
This is what we are.
Still reaching through the distance
Between the near and far.
We don’t need the ending
To know how far we’ve come—
This is what we were,
This is what we are becoming.
Tag
What we were…
What we are…
Still standing in the space between.