Don’t Remember, But I Do

I used to pour my problems in a glass of something strong,

Let the burn replace the memories that stayed too damn long.

Whiskey never asked me why I couldn’t face the truth,

It just held me like a liar holds a promise to his youth.

But every morning after felt like judgment in my bones,

A courtroom in my ribcage where the verdict stood alone.

The bottle slept in silence like it never did me wrong,

But I remembered every heartbreak it had helped me drag along.

Whiskey don’t remember, but I do.

Every slurred apology, every night I never came through.

It forgets the tears I caused, the bridges that I burned,

But I carry every lesson that the liquor never learned.

Whiskey don’t remember, but I do…

God knows I do.

I saw my kids in photographs instead of in my arms,

Saw the damage in their eyes from all my self‑inflicted harm.

Whiskey never told me I was losing what I loved,

It just whispered, “One more drink,” like that was ever enough.

I missed birthdays, missed first steps, missed chances to be there,

Missed the look of trust a child gives a father who’s aware.

The bottle never warned me I was fading from their view,

But I remember every moment that I chose the drink over the truth.

Whiskey don’t remember, but I do.

Every slurred apology, every night I never came through.

It forgets the tears I caused, the bridges that I burned,

But I carry every lesson that the liquor never learned.

Whiskey don’t remember, but I do…

God knows I do.

Some nights I swear I hear the ghosts

Of who I used to be,

Sitting on the edge of beds

Where my kids waited on me.

And the bottle stays quiet

Like it never played a part…

But I remember every crack

It ever carved into my heart.

Whiskey don’t remember, but I do.

Every broken promise, every “I’ll be there” I never proved.

It forgets the pain it caused, the families it tore through,

But I’m living with the memories that the bottle never knew.

Whiskey don’t remember, but I do…

And I’m done letting it choose.

Yeah, whiskey don’t remember…

But I’ll never forget what it cost me.