The One Is the One You Pick

Verse 1

“You’ve been fed a lie your entire life” He sets down his coffee / off key / tired eyes “What do you mean?” He asked I frown / say back “What’s wrong with the gal you have? He sighs

She’s kind / but / almost twenty-nine “Sure” “Sex is nice / but her booty’s tiny “Mature” “Brains and beauty / but not an entrepreneur Wants kids / but our timelines differ Hm…

I linger / in between bites “Bro, “You’re in for a helluva fight” He goes, “What do you mean? I shouldn’t settle, right?” No “But you’re looking for five / people in one / wife”

A kid a table over begs for dessert He wants cookies AND pie / mom turns / voice stern “Son / pick one / or none’s / what you deserve” My friend smirks / swipes right / resumes the search

Chorus 1

The one / is the one you pick But some want someone So much So long They never commit They run / at the slightest itch Hoping to tie the knot / keep Fleeing the dance Damn (You-hoo!) Verse 2:

It’s been ten years, we decide to catch up He’s dipping cheese fries into the ketchup He mentions, “Something’s off” “The fireworks have stopped…” “When she talks, I’m lost in my own thoughts…” The bed’s gone

“Cold / I want something different / Woah I ask him / “How long’s it been?”/ I suppose (He) counts on his fingers / “2 years in” / “Oh, “You just began / to shift / to oxytocin / vasopressin

It’s depressing / when the dopamine drops “Doesn’t mean love’s lost” I posit / he pauses You positive, she was it? “She could’ve been!” but the first time spark’s hard to kick Isn’t it?

I’ve been chemically compelled to fuck / and called it love But… / after the buzz dried up Left with / nothing but / what really was Is “us” / better than the rush?

Chorus 2 The one / is the one you pick But some want someone So much So long They never commit They run / at the slightest itch Hoping to tie the knot / keep Fleeing the dance Damn (You-hoo!)

/// Verse 3

A decade slips by, out for drinks
My ring / catching lights / twenty years deep Glass of Cabernet, he looks at me
"I'm 38, dated so many, but I'm still empty"

“I saw her crossing the street once / two kids / God” “…What might’ve been if I hadn’t walked?” I confided ‘bout the time I nearly broke it off Read him a letter I wrote my wife / when our ship hit the rocks

You’re the glue that keeps me true The truth is if I’m loose / I can only lose It’s thanks to you That my life’s on the right route I’m of little use And acutely confused Unless we’re two

He said, “What a trip”–– ––Thought I was free cuz I can pick …But what if You’re only free because you picked? “Shit” “Since most of the relationship is” “With every future you and her you can’t predict”

When you are totally different And she is older and distant Amid the burden of living It sparks a burn in your system You start your scratching and sniffing For something novel to stick in Will you succumb to the trick Or will you be bigger than that?

He sits with it… Then pulls up the apps Hesitates to trash ‘em / takes in a breath “I don’t wanna be trapped, man” Yeah, but face facts: Commitment’s a craft / master that so when

Life hits Goals change / beauty fades Bills thick / kids sick Hope is strained Two hearts beaten but still beating / will you stray or hold sway One choice remains: Devotion over dopamine

Shared history / accreted memories / adventures made School plays / kids wave / mortgage paid / grandkids await Dads pass / hold hands / outlast / what clocks erase Share life with another being Or swipe for another fling?

Keep fleeing For another fleeting feeling…

Chorus 3 + 4 The one / is the one you pick But some want someone So much So long They never commit They run / at the slightest itch Hoping to tie the knot / keep Fleeing the dance Damn (You-hoo!)

The one / is the one you pick But some want someone So much So long They never commit They run / at the slightest itch Hope to tie the knot / flee the dance Grow tired and lost seeking greener grass