Theres a big white house on a busy street
On a summers day on 1963
Station wagons parked in the drive
Dents in the fender and wood on the side
Theres kids and dogs and instamatic cubes squinting hard in the sun
Not just yet, but one day too
Theyll be chasing whats already gone
You grow tall and you grow up tough
Trying to never admit not feeling good enough
Until you find your passion and you find your way
Just trying to make it unscathed through every day
And it seems to happen nearly overnight
Life shows you who youve become
And theres no more mystery in the fading light
Youre just chasing whats already gone
Like the line that spells the far horizon
Moving with you as fast as you can run
Half your life you pay it no attention
The rest you cant stop wondering
What you should have done
Instead of chasing whats already gone
Saw my father in a dream last night
He was smiling and saying Youre gonna be all right
And this morning I stared back at myself
Feeling as empty as Ive ever felt
But I keep on going and I hope Ive learned
More of whats right than whats wrong
Its ashes and roses and time thats burned
When youre chasing whats already gone
Ashes and roses and hearts that break
I tried so hard to be strong
But maybe my worries were not my first mistake
Im chasing whats already gone