Owen Young - If I Knew Then Lyrics

It was his only real suit and he was new to the bar
Big hard working hands that were all calloused and scarred
Lit by blue shadows skating 'cross a TV
He ordered rye whisky but nothing to eat
He wasn't a talker but as he stared through his glass
He told it a story of a time long since past
His voice trailing off like he'd been stuck with a knife
As he got to the part about the young love of his life
He couldn't remember what had taken him away
But if she could forgive him he knew what he would say
If I knew then what I think I know now
All the bridges I burned would still be standing somehow
The threads of my life all unravelled with time
Would be woven back together in a tapestry sublime
I torture my mind with the things I would change
Like puzzles or photographs I could just rearrange
But through all life's troubles one thing's been true
I believed that this winding road would lead me back to you
In the glow of the neon from above the bar door
He knew it was her and wondered what he'd come here for
Elegant and tall not showing the years
She glided in beside him like the space had been reserved
She asked for white wine he thought where to begin
When the gentle voice he knew asked simply how he had been
He felt old he felt young he felt a weight leave his breast
He said he regretted how much he had missed
She studied his face and touched his gray head
Slipped her hand into his and this is what she said
If I knew then what I think I know now
All the bridges I burned would still be standing somehow
The threads of my life all unravelled with time
Would be woven back together in a tapestry sublime
I torture my mind with the things I would change
Like puzzles or photographs I could just rearrange
But through all life's troubles one thing's been true
I knew that this winding road would lead me back to you
I always knew that this winding road would lead me back to you