Second Semester

[Verse 1]
Second semester, you found your way beside me
Ten months in, you know the parts I hide
You let me say the same hurt over, patiently
And never make me feel I need to apologize

[Pre-Chorus]
I was carrying a goodbye I couldn't make sense of
A door shut hard, no reason I could see
You stayed and listened when the grief came spilling
You made a little room for me to breathe

[Chorus]
Thank you for the kindness I had always hoped to find
For loving me like friendship should, so steady and so kind
In ten short months, you’ve given more than years could ever prove
When I lost the one I thought I'd never lose
You stayed right here, and helped me make it through
You’re the best thing that came into my life

[Verse 2]
I still turn the questions over in the quiet
Wonder what I missed, what I could change
But you don't rush me toward a neat conclusion
You sit with me while everything feels strange

[Pre-Chorus]
You never asked me to be done with grieving
You never made my sadness take a smaller shape
You just kept showing up in all the simple ways
And gave my heart a safer place to stay

[Chorus]
Thank you for the kindness I had always hoped to find
For loving me like friendship should, so steady and so kind
In ten short months, you’ve given more than years could ever prove
When I lost the one I thought I'd never lose
You stayed right here, and helped me make it through
You’re the best thing that came into my life

[Bridge]
Maybe someday I’ll stop asking why
Maybe that old ache will loosen its hold
Till then, I’m grateful you are here
A friend who doesn’t leave when the story gets hard to tell

[Final Chorus]
Thank you for the kindness I had always hoped to find
For hearing every tangled thought and never changing sides
In ten short months, you’ve shown me what a loyal heart can do
When I lost the one I thought I'd never lose
You stayed right here, and helped me make it through
You’re the best thing that came into my life
My best friend, thank you for staying by my side

[Outro]
Second semester feels a lifetime from today
I’m glad you came, and I’m glad you stayed

Intimate indie pop ballad with a gentle mid-tempo pulse, warm piano and picked electric guitar in the verses, restrained brushed percussion entering at the pre-chorus, fuller drums and soft harmony vocals lifting the chorus, then a close piano-led bridge that builds into a final wide chorus. Vulnerable conversational lead vocal, clear melodic phrasing, organic dynamics, warm natural mix with room around the vocal.