She said "the summer's breaking up"
I was the only one for her
I told her I was gonna be there when the afternoon was done
And that was gonna be my whole life
Again and again
And we'd fall in love each and every night
Never have to see the end
And she could be the one to change me
Help me grow and learn to be a man
And I could be the one to memorize
Her stories and her plans
And I could ask her that one question
That would change both of our lives
And we could build our own forever
Flitting in and out of time

But I'm telling you,
It may not ever be the way you want
Because I'm leaving in the morning
With the rising of the sun
And I'll be home by September
If that's okay
But if you miss me too much, baby
I won't take it personally
If you walk away
Walk away, take back your whole life
Tell me that this just won't work
And I'll say "everything's alright"
Because girl, I'll love you for the rest of my life
And if you don't feel the same
You can turn around and leave, girl
And I won't say a single thing

But if we're meant to be we'll weather this
Long distance til it's gone
The miles and the dusty roads
The hours left 'til dawn
And if you're tired of spinning wheels
Or of waking up alone
Just know, my love, that this is not goodbye
It's just a leaving song

This song is just four simple chords
But babe it's all of me
It's every Dashboard song on the radio
As I turn around to leave
It's every sunset over I-94
With your face still stuck in my rearview mirror
And every time I know I won't be satisfied
Until I'm headed back this way
It's every moment that I felt that skipping beat within my chest
Every phone call when we promised to love each other best
It's every night spent lying out on the beach
When the summertime was still in our reach
And every Sunday evening, every long goodbye
That I didn't want to say

But if we're meant to be we'll weather this
Long distance 'til it's gone
The miles and the dusty roads
The hours left 'til dawn
And if you're tired of spinning wheels
Or of waking up alone
Just know, my love, that this is not goodbye
It's just a leaving song

I guess it all came down to that one night
Out in the rain, freezing my ass off at some payphone in Ohio
And you're crying on the other end
And I don't think my soul is gonna take another bend
Down one of these highway lines
And I'm sorry I'm not there to make it right
And they're telling us we're too young
That we can't know love
But I'm not going to listen to that
Not making excuses, or turning back
'Cause miles are just numbers on a map
And I'll be damned if I let them take you away

But if we're meant to be we'll weather this
Long distance 'til it's gone
The miles and the dusty roads
The hours left 'til dawn
And if you're tired of spinning wheels
Or of waking up alone
Just know, my love, that this is not goodbye
It's just a leaving song