[Verse 1]
We were sittin’ in a diner... just me and my old friend.
He said, “I’ve got a story, that I’ve been carrying
It’s not so easy to tell, but I think you should know
About the day I lost Hope… and had to watch her go”


[Verse 2]
“She was just a baby, when her mama left
Took her down to Georgia, man I was a wreck
I was Too drunk to fight, and I was too numb to feel
But losin’ her that day. Boy, that pain was real”


[Chorus]
I lost Hope in a cloud of regret
Didn’t know how low I could get
Til I watched that taillight fade in the rain
And I’ve never, ever, been the same


She’s out there and I think it’s too late
It’s been so long since I’ve seen her face
Just remember to love those that you hold dear.
“I lost Hope…“ …. he said with a tear.


[Verse 3]
I missed her first steps, missed her first dance
Sent cards every year, as if I had a chance
I cleaned up my life, but I still felt the cost
I found Jesus and Faith, but all Hope was still lost


[Chorus]
I lost Hope in a slow goodbye
Looked for her in every low and every high
Prayed to see her, just once more
But she never, walked through that door


[Final Verse]
The waitress brought our coffee, said, “Sir, it’s on me”
He looked up real slow, like he was afraid to believe
She said, “I read your letters, I read every single line.
I can’t believe you’re sitting here, after all this time”


So if you’re out there, thinkin’ it’s too late
That love can’t find, what time and pain erased
Just remember, what he told me through the tears:
“I lost Hope… but she found me right here.”


[Final Chorus]
He finally found Hope, at a roadside café
A daughter’s love, a father’s tears, they both found their way
With years and miles, and amazing grace between
To the space where the grace, and God’s mercy redeems.


So if you’re out there, thinkin’ it’s too late
That love can’t find, what time and pain erased
Just remember, what he told me through the tears:
“I lost Hope… but she found me right here.”


He lost Hope… but she found him right here.