(Synth intro, a looping, slightly melancholic arpeggio that feels like a fading memory)
(Verse 1)
The first cold air hits my face, and the sky is an unforgiving gray
And just like that, I'm back in that place, a hundred million miles away
You, in the driver's seat of your beat-up car, one hand on the wheel
You said my name like it was a secret star, something only you could feel
We were seventeen and sun-bleached, running on cheap cherry cola and nerve
Carving our initials in the boardwalk bleachers, taking every single curve
That road ever gave us, never thinking 'bout the brakes
Yeah, you were the best and the worst of all my favorite mistakes.
(Pre-Chorus)
And the static on the radio was the only sound we knew
As the sun bled out, a perfect shade of orange and of blue
You looked at me and you said…
(Chorus)
"Don't this feel like forever?" and I'm chasing your ghost down the coast
You're the heat on the pavement, the one that I wanted the most
It was a blur of golden light, three months in paradise
Now I stare at the ceiling and I ask the dark for your advice
Do you ever miss it? The taste of stolen kisses?
Yeah, I'm haunted by the ghost of our Polaroid Summer.
(Verse 2)
Do you remember that night by the lake? The bonfire and the tangled-up lies?
You were wearing my faded sweatshirt for goodness sake, with a galaxy reflected in your eyes
You traced the constellations on my arm, promising you'd never drift away
You knew just how to use that small-town charm to make me beg for you to stay
We swore that September was a myth, a story made up to scare the young
That the feeling we had couldn't just end with the last song the cicadas sung.
(Pre-Chorus)
And the smoke from the fire was the only thing between you and me
You pulled me closer, whispering…
(Chorus)
"Don't this feel like forever?" and I'm chasing your ghost down the coast
You're the heat on the pavement, the one that I wanted the most
It was a blur of golden light, three months in paradise
Now I stare at the ceiling and I ask the dark for your advice
Do you ever miss it? The taste of stolen kisses?
Yeah, I'm haunted by the ghost of our Polaroid Summer.
(Bridge)
And I see you sometimes when I'm driving, a mirage in the passenger seat
I almost call your name out, but then reality admits its defeat
Did you pack up my memory in a box with your faded blue jeans?
Was I just another chapter in your coming-of-age movie scenes?
'Cause you painted my world in colors I'd never seen before
And then you walked away and left me wanting more, and more, and more…
(Guitar solo - clean, melodic, echoing the main chorus melody with a touch of rock angst)
(Chorus - softer, almost a whisper)
Don't this feel like forever… I'm still chasing your ghost down the coast…
You were everything… the one that I wanted the most…
(Chorus - full blast, drums kick back in, desperate and anthemic)
"Don't this feel like forever?" and I'm chasing your ghost down the coast!
You're the heat on the pavement, the one that I wanted the most!
It was a blur of golden light, three months in paradise!
Now I stare at the ceiling and I ask the dark for your advice!
Do you ever miss it? God, I hope you miss this!
Yeah, I'm haunted by the ghost of our Polaroid Summer.
(Outro)
Our Polaroid Summer…
(Fading synth arpeggio returns)
Fading out, yeah…
In your beat-up car…
A secret star…
Do you ever…
(Music fades to silence)
