Submission for New York Times Coming of Age Contest

live: just me and my guitar

lyrics:

I can feel my heartbeat after one too many sleepless nights
Wondering if my phone will ring telling me it’s gonna be alright
And I know this is normal now but it still was like yesterday
I could go out and have fun without worrying away

The sun is shining but inside it feels lonely and cold
I thought this would be over now, it’s getting really old
I wish I could drive right now, I would drive on and on
And I wouldn’t stop, I’d be driving until all of this is gone

I remember like the back of my hand, how nice it was
To be able to stand up and go talk to someone
Lately I don’t even know how to respond to anybody
What have I become

I wish we could go back to our ordinary lives
Cause these days everything is out of control
I wish there had been just a little more time
So it would be easier to feel alone

I’m not a morning person usually, but I’d rather wake up
Early, even at dawn, if everything had never begun
I get distracted easily, but I’ll focus more if it means
Being able to get out, instead of living in my dreams

I remember like the back of my hand, how nice it was
To be able to stand up and go talk to someone
Lately I don’t even know how to respond to anybody
What have I become

I wish we could go back to our ordinary lives
Cause these days everything is out of control
I wish there had been just a little more time
So it would be easier to feel alone

This year, it’s broken down, we lost our crown
Buried beneath the ground
The things we gave, stood at our graves
Watched us going down

I wish we could go back to our ordinary lives
Cause these days everything is out of control
I wish there had been just a little more time
So it would be easier to feel alone
I miss the nights of getting to stay out
Not that late but not ever feeling down
I wish there had been just a little more time
So it would be easier to feel alone

Ashley Yu