When Did That Happen

[Intro] (oh...) Nobody tells you It happens while you're busy living [Verse 1] The songs that raised me cut through the factory hum A kid half my age mouths every single word Excuse me, sir, I still glance over my shoulder Half expecting my old man in this neon blur The years never knocked loud They slipped in with the shift change bell Somewhere between overtime And watching the conveyor belt [Pre-Chorus] I kept chasing the horizon lights Never noticed what I left behind Funny how the longest chapters Fade fastest in fluorescent time [Hook] When did that happen? When did my heroes start looking young? When did forever shrink to next summer? Where did all those Saturdays run? I'm not asking for yesterday I'm just wondering where it went Somewhere between grinding these gears I became the man I meant [Verse 2] My father's laugh echoes in the metal clang In the way I wave the next man through the gate The things I swore I'd never understand Feel smaller every year under these flickering lights The dreams that never crossed the finish line Don't haunt me in the night Some became rust covered stories Some taught me how to survive the grind [Pre-Chorus] Every season left oil on my hands Without asking to be seen Maybe growing older Was never losing years Just learning what the machine means [Hook] When did that happen? When did the years learn how to hide? When did I stop racing tomorrow And let today walk by my side? I'm not reaching backward now There's still fire left in these veins Somewhere between chasing the future I finally found my place in the chain [Bridge] Nobody warns you It won't hit you all at once You'll just catch yourself smiling At the young ones burning bright Realizing the gears never stop But somehow you learned how to move inside them [Final Hook] When did that happen? Maybe it happened every single day One quiet choice One hard goodbye One stubborn reason to stay If tomorrow calls my name I'll answer through the noise Still becoming Still unfinished Still grateful for another shift [Outro] (oh...) Maybe time never left me behind Maybe it was walking beside me All along