Old friend - Song

Hi Stefan. I thought it might be helpful to have the lyrics here so that people can comment on the song as a whole, so I took the liberty of pasting them below from your original post of just the lyrics. I hope you don't mind. You might prefer to add them to your post above.

There's a nice gentle folk vibe here that complements the lyric well. It's a rough recording - which is fine since there's not much point in getting suggestions that you can't implement because the song is already produced - but I think you deliver it well. A couple of grammatical and pronunciation suggestions...

You pronounce the "v" of "vapor" as a "w." That sounds a bit strange.

"and I have yet to learn" means that you have not yet learned that all his plans are blown. I don't think that's what you mean. You could change it to "I have come to learn" or something, but that sounds a bit clumsy and unnatural. How about something like this

"and the flame that used to burn

so brightly blew out and all those plans are gone"

I've got a couple of suggestions for the last verse and refrain, as shown below in bold type. The first one is grammatical. The ones at the end are to make it easier to sing by taking out the unnecessary word "the" before "others."

Old friend, I wish we'd had the time

To share our thoughts on life and what may lay beyond

I know the pain will grow and stay

and only slowly fade away

as you will leave a void no song can fill with rhyme

Refrain 

Old friend, all what's left for me to do

To write this song alas this humble little tune

To tell your tale of life and death

from birth till your last breath

to tell others of the story that's been you

to remind others of the story that's been you

"OLD FRIEND"

by Stefan Portune

Old friend, thought I'd hear from you again

last time we spoke was brief and in a rush

now I've heard the news today

that you have passed away

and I'm all out of words for now and then

Old friend, last time we spoke by phone

your plans were full of music, rhymes and sound

now your journey took a turn

and I have yet to learn

that all your future plans now have been blown

Refrain

Life is but a vapor, life is precious, life is fragile,

and we must redeem the time that we were given

Life's never what's expected, best laid plans are somehow agile

and we only pass the time whilst we are driven

Old friend, i'd wished we've had the time

To share our thoughts on life and what may lay beyond

I know the pain will grow and stay

and only slowly fade away

as you will leave a void a song can barely rhyme

Refrain 

Old friend, all what's left for me to do

To write this song alas this humble little tune

To tell your tale of life and death

early from birth till your last breath

to tell the others of the story that's been you

to remind the others of the story that's been you