[Intro: Kesha]
Ooh

[Verse 1: Kesha, with Dolly Parton]
Downtown tonight, I saw an old friend, someone who
I used to take comfort from long before I met you
I caught a spark in his eyes of forgotten desire
With a word or a touch, I could have rekindled that fire

[Chorus: Kesha & Dolly Parton]
But old flames can't hold a candle to you
No one can light up the night like you do
Flickering embers of love
I've known one or two
But old flames can't hold a candle to you

[Post-Chorus: Kesha, Dolly Parton]
Oh, yeah
Ooh

[Verse 2: Dolly Parton, Kesha, Both]
But sometimes at night, I think of old lovers I've known
And I remember how holding them helped me not feel so alone
(Feel so alone)
Then I feel you beside me and even their memories are gone
Like stars in the night, lost in the sweet light of dawn
Oh, oh
[Chorus: Kesha & Dolly Parton, Kesha]
But old flames can't hold a candle to you
No one can light up the night like you do
Flickering embers of love
I've known one or two
But old flames can't hold a candle to you
But old flames can't hold a candle to you

[Outro: Kesha, Dolly Parton]
Oh, yeah (Mmm), oh, oh, yeah
Oh, oh (Oh), oh
Oh, oh, yeah
Can't hold (To you) a candle to you, candle to you (Oh, yeah)
Old flames (Oh, yeah), old flames (Oh, yeah)
Old flames (Oh, oh), old flames (Oh, yeah)
Can't hold a candle to you