From the recording IV: Finding My Way Back Home
“Love Was” is a heartfelt country ballad steeped in nostalgia and reflection. Ryland Fisher looks back on a relationship that began in youth and grew into something complex and enduring, pairing vivid lyrical storytelling with a sweeping, cinematic arrangement. With lines like “I’m still learning,” Fisher captures the bittersweet beauty of long-term love—its evolution, its imperfections, and its staying power. Soulful and sincere, “Love Was” is a slow-burning anthem for anyone still writing their own love story.
Lyrics
She was a
Nineteen in a varsity jersey
Cheering under Friday night lights
For the home team
Acted like I was watching
But I was too caught up in her eyes
And I thought I knew what love was
I met a
Twenty-three, workin six days a week
Planning out the rest of her life
I was double-shifting
Penny-pinching- saving up to make her my wife
And I thought I knew what love was
I didn’t know then
And I don’t know now
It might take forever
To figure you out
You’re a mystery baby
Behind every door
There’s a change of season
I fall a little more
Every rise, every set, every trip around the sun
You got me rethinking what I thought love was
You know I’ve
Kissed every curve, touched every nerve
Baby, that’s the beauty of time
For better or worse
I’m still learning- let a couple more stars align
Yeah, I thought I knew what love was
I didn’t know then
And I don’t know now
It might take forever
To figure you out
You’re a mystery baby
Behind every door
There’s a change of season
I fall a little more
Every rise, every set, every trip around the sun
You got me rethinking what I thought love was
Love was
Love was
Yeah
When we’re porch-swinging, 80 years young
Can’t wait to look back on us
And see what love was
See what love was
But I won’t know then
Like I don’t know now
It might take forever
To figure you out
You’re a mystery baby
Behind every door
There’s a change of season
I fall a little more
Every rise, every set, every trip around the sun
Oh
Every rise, every set, every trip around the sun
Has got me rethinking what I thought love was
Has got me rethinking what I thought love was