Lyrics

There's a drumbeat in the distance like a slow and solemn prayer,
A funeral march that carries every heartache through the air.
It moves with quiet footsteps, with a weight that doesn't stray,
A reminder of the sorrow in the songs people play.

Then a radio starts laughing with a mindless little tune,
Candy-coated melodies that sparkle far too soon.
It's the soundtrack of the summer when the world feels light and gay,
Just a sugar-spinning moment in the songs people play.

(Chorus)
Oh, the songs people play, they can lift you, they can break you,
They can hold you in a memory or shake you 'til you're new.
From the whispers of the lonely to the roar of yesterday --
Life is written in the rhythm of the songs people play.

There's a saxophone in twilight blowing cool against the night,
Jazz that curls like cigarette smoke in a neon bar's dim light.
It's the sound of quiet longing, of a heart that drifts away,
Painting shadows on the ceiling in the songs people play.

(Bridge)
And when the amps start humming and the guitars start to roar,
Heavy rock comes crashing like a wave upon the shore.
It's the fire in the heartbeat, it's the wild that won't obey --
Every soul finds its reflection in the songs people play.

(Chorus)
Oh, the songs people play, they can lift you, they can break you,
They can hold you in a memory or shake you 'til you're new.
From the whispers of the lonely to the roar of yesterday --
Life is written in the rhythm of the songs people play.

And now we gather up the moments, every note and every line,
From the dirges of our losses to the tunes that make us shine.
And we carry them within us as we walk our winding way --
For our hearts are always singing all the songs people play.