Chase Varnes - Life Goes On (Reimagined) by iRL4ND

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Description

This song is a heartfelt reimagining inspired by a brief, emotional moment on America's Got Talent, when 13-year-old Chase Varnes began singing a song that Simon Cowell abruptly stopped, asking him to sing something else. What followed appeared to be a continuation—or perhaps a different part—of the same song, but delivered with more heart and vulnerability. Though the lyrics were hard to catch due to nerves and unclear pronunciation, the feeling behind them lingered.

Moved by that raw, unfinished expression, I decided to create my own version of what that song could’ve been—combining fragments from both performances, filtered through my own words and emotions. The result is this piece: a melancholic yet resilient ballad about loss, longing, and the quiet ache of connections that never had the chance to fully form. It explores the pain of absence, the struggle to move on, and the enduring truth that even in grief, life continues—though never quite the same.

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Life Goes On
Reimagined lyrics © iRL4ND · 2025



I wish I could say I love you
I wish I could look in your eyes
Even though we never met
You live in the space where my heart cries

I was struck, left undone
Words got lost, I had none
Silence loud, whispers burn
Every smile becomes a lesson learned
And love, it fades to pain
But memories still remain
Our sweetest refrain... hmm

And the tide came crashing down
I’m drowning in the sound
Of what we’ll never have

So tell me how
My life moves on
When you’re not here, I fall apart
Like a stone, I’m sinking down
If you walk away now
All my skies will break
Easy come, but hard to take
Still… life goes on
Life goes on

I wish I could hold your story
Wish I knew the words to say
Just because I never met you
Doesn’t mean you’re far away

Hit like thunder, left me reeling
Ran out of breath, ran out of words
Every heartbeat keeps on kneeling
To the weight of what still hurts

And the waves came rolling in
I’m lost beneath my skin
And I still call your name

So tell me how
My world turns on
When you're not here, my light is gone
Like a stone, I sink below
If you leave, I’ll never know
Why the good must fade so slow
Easy come, but harder go
Still… life goes on
Yeah, life goes on

Maybe time will sew the seams
Maybe love lives in between
What we had and what we missed
In every shadowed wish

So tell me how
This heart beats on
When every rhythm feels so wrong
Like a stone, I’m sinking down
If you’re gone, I’ll wear this crown
Of loss that time can’t shake
Easy give, but hard to take
Still… life goes on
Yes, life goes on

Mmm… life goes on
But not the same
Not the same