I just stepped

              
 on a plane, m

  
y bags on the 

shelf
            
I find my seat

              
 in the middle

             
 and plan to k

eep to myself
             
The pilot come

              
s on, says "th

      
ere's been a d

elay"
            
And I sigh, bu

              
ckle up, and p

  
repare for the

 wait

             
There's a midd

              
le-aged woman 

     
on my right by

 the window
            
No ring on her

              
 finger maybe 


divorced or a 

widow?
             
She's drafting

              
 an email and 

      
from where I a

m seated
            
I can side-eye

              
 that shit, so

     
 of course I'm

 gon' read it

It said:
             
Dear McCracken

      
              
This is alread

            
y great dude's

              
 got a pen pal

       
 and a killer 

last name
             
She opens with

            
 an inside jok

              
e and she's ho

              
pin' to set a 

            
casual tone, h

           
er words caref

ully chosen
             
She was sure t

              
hat her week s

        
pent in Housto

n would drag
            
But then a fac

              
e from her pas

          
t quickly chan

ged all of tha

t
             
The trip was f

              
or business, s

    
he's used to t

he travel
            
But this time 

              
she's not read

         
y to head back

 to Seattle

[Chorus]
             
Dear McCracken

             
, I'd rather b

            
e off this pla

ne
              
I can't admit 

             
the half of it

              
 that I want t

   
o say
              
Do I pretend? 

     
Do I push you 

away?
            
I'm jet laggin

              
' McCracken an

            
d I'll give yo

u
              
I'll give you 

          
your space

           

             
I can tell by 

              
the abuse of t

    
he backspace k

ey
            
There's a hear

              
t balanced on 

        
how her words 

are perceived
             
She's retyped 

              
that fourth pa

   
ragraph four t

imes
             
Swinging the t

             
one back forth

             
 until she's s

o satisfied
             
That he knows 

              
that even thou

         
gh their paths

 have diverged
            
There's an air

              
 of regret but

     
 not enough to

 reverse

             
And I am stunn

              
ed, there I si

   
t, completely 

convinced
              
That once you 

            
grow old you s

    
top dealin' wi

th this
             
The uncertain,

              
 the hurtin', 

            
the feelin lik

             
e dirt when th


ings don't
              
Work out by th

  
e fall of the 

curtain
             
She hits send,

              
 powers off, a

   
nd we're ready

 to go
            
And I am sad f

              
or the passion

      
 that McCracke

n, he might ne

ver know

[Chorus]
             
Dear McCracken

             
, I'd rather b

            
e off this pla

ne
              
I can't admit 

             
the half of it

              
 that I want t

   
o say
              
Do I pretend? 

     
Do I push you 

away?
            
I'm jet laggin

              
' McCracken an

            
d I'll give yo

u

I'll give you your

             
Dear McCracken

             
, I'm keepin' 

            
this on my che

st
              
I said a lot o

             
f things but n

              
one of them wh

   
at I meant
              
Do I pretend? 

     
Do I try to fo

rget?
            
I'm jet laggin

              
' McCracken an

            
d I wish you
              
I wish you the

          
 best

               

             
And I thought,

    
 I thought by 

that age
           
Our broken hea

              
rts had seen t

     
heir worst
             
And I thought 

             
that kind of h

         
eartache was m

eant for the y

oung
          
But we're neve

r too old to h

urt

             
And I thought,

    
 I thought by 

that age
           
Our broken hea

              
rts had seen t

     
heir worst
             
And I thought 

             
that kind of h

             
eartache was m


eant for the y

oung
          
But we're neve

r too old to h

urt

                 

             
I just stepped

              
 off a plane, 

              
I've got one r


egret
            
I know I'll ne

              
ver get closur

         
e or ever see 

how it ends
             
No I won't kno

              
w his answer, 

       
what happens b

etween them
            
And why she ke

              
pt her cards s

              
o close even s

  
he couldn't se

e them
             
What gave her 

              
such pause whe

      
n she so clear

ly wanted
            
To tell you al

              
l the emotions

           
 she tried so 

hard to bottle

             
And I'll never

              
 know why she 

          
kept the hones

t truth from y

ou
       
But oh Dear Mc

Cracken
       
In the rough d

raft
           
Oh in the roug

h draft
              
In the rough d

              
raft she loved

       
 you