It was just startin’ to drizzle as I walked out the door
But I’ve delivered papers in the rain like that before
3:30 in the morning, I was happy as a lark
As I grabbed my bike and rode into the darkI pedaled through the neighborhood, the weather on my mind
The wind was pickin’ up and howlin’ louder all the time
The sky churned like a cauldron and the distant thunder roared
And I knew that I was in for quite a stormA little rain never hurt no one, so I kept pressin’ on
And I tried to tell myself it’s always darkest before the dawnLighting struck an oak tree as I leapt off my bike
The sirens started wailing, but there was no good place to hide
I knew without a doubt there was a twister touchin’ down
So I crawled into a culvert to wait it outThe little bit of courage I had left was almost gone
But I tried to tell myself it’s always darkest before the dawnAnd then the nightmare started, it got deafeningly loud
Every fiber in me screamed out, but I couldn’t make a sound
The whirling of a vortex, a violent carousel
It sounded like a freight train was draggin’ me to hellAnd this was my prayer
“Save me from this terrible nightmare”That was when I saw my family with my eyes shut real tight
Would they know how much I loved them if this was how I died?
No, I vowed I’d not be murdered by a monster in the sky that nightBut if I went home to heaven, at least that’s where I’d belong
Yeah, I tried to tell myself it’s always darkest before the dawn
So I kept hangin’ onI kept hangin’ onThe shadows slowly melted as I was hunkered down
‘Til at last the worst was over, the storm was dyin’ out
I crept out of that culvert and I went weak in the knees
‘Cause what I saw was a somber sight to seeThere was nothin’ but destruction and wreckage in that town
Cars were upside down and houses leveled to the ground
A twisted trampoline was hangin’ from the power lines
I blinked a tear back ’cause I felt lucky to be aliveAnd that was how I learned to live when you can run, but you can’t hide
How to feel trapped in a tunnel but come out the other side
‘Cause with all the stormy weather in the world, you learn to take life one storm at a time
You don’t have to be afraidAnd now when there’s bad weather on the way, I stay calm
And I keep hangin’ on because it’s always darkest before the dawnAnd I keep hangin’ onI keep hangin’ on Songwriters: Adam Young. For non-commercial use only.