The Key

Written by Jeff F. Marretta Created for the A Matter of Time collection The Key (Verse 1) I was counting every second like a debt I had to pay Tracing every fracture back to where it slipped away If I could just rewind it, take the damage out the frame Maybe I could outrun every echo of your name (Pre-Chorus) But the clock don’t listen when I beg it to bend It just keeps on breaking me again and again (Chorus) I tried to rewrite every line in the sand Tried to fight the fall with a steady hand But the more I pulled, the more it slipped Like time was never mine to command I was searching for a way to understand Why it shattered everything I planned Till I found the truth I couldn’t outrun— (Hook) The key wasn’t made to turn back the hands It was made to unlock where I stand (Verse 2) There were moments I erased that still were etched in me Like a shadow stitched forever to my memory Every scar I tried to bury started glowing in the dark Like a map I didn’t know I’d been holding from the start (Pre-Chorus) And the deeper I went trying to make it undone The more I saw what I’ve become (Chorus) I tried to rewrite every line in the sand Tried to fight the fall with a steady hand But the more I pulled, the more it slipped Like time was never mine to command I was searching for a way to understand Why it shattered everything I planned Till I felt something shift in my hands— (Hook) The key wasn’t made to turn back the hands It was made to unlock where I stand (Bridge) What if nothing was broken? What if nothing was lost? What if every shattered moment Was just showing me the cost? Of becoming something stronger Of surviving every flame Maybe every scar I carry Is just magic by another name (Final Chorus) I won’t rewrite every line in the sand I won’t fight the fall—I’ll finally land ’Cause every crack is where the light exists Not something I need to remand Now I’m standing where I couldn’t before At the edge of every open door And I see what it all meant in the end— (Final Hook / Outro) The key wasn’t made to turn back the hands It was made to unlock where I stand And every scar that I thought I should hide Is the same place the magic began Yeah, the damage and the wonder expand— Now I know… they were never separate plans The scars and the magic Are the same thing.