The Board

[Verse 1] Twelve years old, the sun was high Concrete hot beneath my feet Saw my friends just wave goodbye From the shallow end, so sweet Ice cream truck played its tune A distant, jingling chime Beneath that August moon Lost all sense of time [Pre-Chorus] The diving board, a towering height A dare I couldn't take Bathed in golden, hazy light For goodness gracious sake [Chorus] Gripping the goggles tight Toes digging plastic gray That summer afternoon light Froze me there, I couldn't play Cicadas screamed their song Splashing sounds all around Where did that feeling belong? Lost and never found [Verse 2] The smell of chlorine filled the air With sunscreen, sweet and strong A world without a single care Where nothing could go wrong I watched the water shimmer bright Reflecting summer skies Afraid to take that final flight Behind my wide young eyes [Pre-Chorus] The diving board, a towering height A dare I couldn't take Bathed in golden, hazy light For goodness gracious sake [Chorus] Gripping the goggles tight Toes digging plastic gray That summer afternoon light Froze me there, I couldn't play Cicadas screamed their song Splashing sounds all around Where did that feeling belong? Lost and never found [Bridge] Then autumn came, the leaves turned red And whispers filled the breeze They filled that pool, they said With asphalt, for new ease A parking lot where water used to gleam A concrete, endless square That sunset orange, like a dream Just vanished in the air [Verse 3] Now years have passed, the town has grown But still, I sometimes yearn For that one afternoon, alone With lessons I would learn That moment on the board, so stark A memory I keep A tiny, bittersweet, bright spark While the world was fast asleep