Suitcase of Names

[Verse 1]
She learned her name in rooms for rent
On floors that creaked like old regret
Her mother said, "Hold on, girl"
But hold on never held the world

She packed her heart in paper sacks
Kept every leave and coming back
Tried every smile like borrowed shoes
Still none of them would fit her move

[Pre-Chorus]
And every town said maybe
Then turned her down again
She stood in the doorway
Wearing weather on her skin

[Chorus]
I just want a place to belong
(Somewhere I can stay)
I just want a love that's strong
(And doesn't drift away)
Call my name, keep me near
(I've been wandering years)
I just want a place to belong
(Somewhere I can stay)

[Verse 2]
At twenty-two, she loved a man
Who kissed like he was passing through
He said "forever" with a grin
Then left her with the morning blue

She washed his ghost out of her cups
She learned how quiet breaks a heart
The mirror kept her company
But never let her fall apart

[Pre-Chorus]
And every train said maybe
Then faded in the rain
She stood there holding nothing
But a future full of names

[Chorus]
I just want a place to belong
(Somewhere I can stay)
I just want a love that's strong
(And doesn't drift away)
Call my name, keep me near
(I've been wandering years)
I just want a place to belong
(Somewhere I can stay)

[Bridge]
By forty, she stopped asking
For the kind of love that burns
She wanted kind hands, Sunday light
A door that opens when she turns

And if the road keeps calling
She'll answer, tired but brave
'Cause even broken flowerpots
Still know how to hold rain

[Chorus]
I just want a place to belong
(Somewhere I can stay)
I just want a love that's strong
(And doesn't drift away)
Call my name, keep me near
(I've been wandering years)
I just want a place to belong
(Somewhere I can stay)

[Outro]
She found it in a small brown house
In a laugh that learned her scars
Not perfect, not a fairytale
Just warm enough to name as hers