A sultry, jazz-infused ballad with Latin rhythms and haunting instrumentation, "Dust You Left Behind" weaves a tapestry of longing and surrender. The lyrics meditate on the futility of chasing love and material fulfillment, instead embracing the wisdom of letting go. The singer’s voice lingers like smoke over melancholic guitar lines and lush piano chords, creating a mood that’s both intimate and expansive—like a confession whispered in an empty cathedral.

[Verse 1]
The ache of wanting, the weight of gold
Pockets full but the hands grow cold
Reaching for the river’s bend
But the water won’t be pinned

[Pre-Chorus]
Let go, let go, child, lie down
You’re a seed in the cold ground
No need to climb, no need to rise
The moon don’t beg the lonely sky

[Chorus]
Oh, the years roll, slow and sly
Stealing the light from your hungry eyes
What if the love you’re chasing blind
Is the dust you left behind?

[Break]

[Verse 2]
Scraped your knees on the altar stairs
Polished your prayers like silverware
But the wild grass won’t be tamed
And the wind don’t need a name

[Bridge]
Love ain’t a wishbone, love ain’t a debt
It’s the crack in the door you forgot to set
Kneel in the dirt, let the rain come in
Love’s not a prize—it’s the letting in

[Outro]
So let go, let go, like an ash
The dark ain’t nothing but the cradle of dark
And the earth will turn, and the tide will rise
You’re the hollow and the hymn inside

[End]


Dust You Left Behind

Today is a gift, that is why we call it present.

Dust You Left Behind

Pei-Kang Hsu