Chasing What's Already Gone

Chasing What's Already Gone - Mary Chapin Carpenter

There's a big white house on a leafy street

On a summer's day in 1963

A station wagon's parked in the drive

With dents in the fender and wood on the side

There's kids and dogs in instamatic hues

Squinting hard in the sun

Not just yet but one day too

They'll be chasing what's already gone

You grow up tall and you grow up tough

Try to never admit not feeling good enough

They tell you find your passion then you'll find your way

I'm just trying to make it unscathed through every day

And it seems to happen nearly over night

Life shows you who you've become

When there's no more mystery in the fading light

You're just chasing what's already gone

Like the line that spells the far horizon

Moving with you as fast as you can run

Half your life you pay it no attention

The rest you can't stop wondering

What you should have done

Instead of chasing what's already gone

I saw my father in a dream last night

He was smiling and saying you're gonna be alright

And this morning I stared back at myself

Feeling as empty as I've ever felt

But I keep on going and I hope I've learned

More of what's right than what's wrong

It's ashes and roses and time that burns

When you're chasing what's already gone

Ashes and roses and hearts that break

I tried so hard to be strong

It may be my worst but not my first mistake

Chasing what's already gone