"Chasing What's Already Gone" lyrics - MARY CHAPIN CARPENTER

There's a big white house on a leafy street
On a summer's day in 1963
A station wagon's parked in the drive
With dents in the fender and wood on the side

There's kids and dogs in instamatic hues
Squinting hard in the sun
Not just yet but one day too
They'll be chasing what's already gone

You grow up tall and you grow up tough
Try to never admit not feeling good enough
They tell you find your passion then you'll find your way
I'm just trying to make it unscathed through every day

And seems to happen nearly overnight
Life shows you who you've become
When there's no more mystery in the fading light
You're just chasing what's already gone

Like the line that spells the far horizon
Moving with you as fast as you can run
Half your life you pay it no attention
The rest you can't stop wondering
What you should have done
Instead of chasing what's already gone

I saw my father in a dream last night
He was smiling and saying you're going to be alright
And this morning I stared back at myself
Feeling as empty as I've ever felt

But I keep on going and I hope I've learned
More of what's right than what's wrong
It's ashes and roses and time that burns
When you're chasing what's already gone

Ashes and roses and hearts that break
I tried so hard to be strong
It may be my worst but not my first mistake
Chasing what's already gone