Good Old Days Gone

We were twenty-something, broke and tired

Hand-me-down cribs, dreams still wired

Four little mouths, a beat-up floor

Prayin’ the paycheck stretched a little more

No sleep, no plan, just love and noise

Sticky fingers, scattered toys

Everybody said “man, you’re in deep”

Nobody said “this goes fast, don’t blink”

Every late night, every cry

Just tryin’ to make it through alive

I didn’t know back then somehow

These would be the nights I miss right now

Nobody tells you you’re in the good old days

Till they’re gone and time don’t wait

You hold ‘em close, then they slip away

Grow wings, find roads, make their own names

I’m proud as hell, but it still hurts bad

Those babies ain’t babies, and damn… that’s sad

I’d give anything just to rewind time

One more hug, one more night

Nobody tells you when you’re young and strong

That the good old days don’t last this long

I watched ‘em start their lives and chase their gains

New routines, new friends, different lanes

Phones stay quiet most nights now

Guess I’m not the first call somehow

I tell myself it’s just a phase

This quiet’s part of growin’ pains

Maybe in five, maybe ten years time

I’ll hear “hey Dad” on the other line

I’d trade every calm, every easy day

For a mess on the floor and a game to play

Back when “Dad” was all rugged and tough

And that was somehow always enough

Nobody tells you you’re in the good old days

Till they’re gone and time don’t wait

You hold ‘em close, then they slip away

Grow wings, find roads, make their own names

I’m proud as hell, but it still hurts bad

Those babies ain’t babies, and damn… that’s sad

I’d give anything just to rewind time

One more hug, one more night

Nobody tells you when you’re young and strong

That the good old days don’t last this long

(strip it down here – acoustic, emotional)

I’d sit on the floor, let the whole world wait

Just to hear ‘em laugh, call my name

I’d give up sleep, money, peace of mind

Just to freeze that moment in time

I’m happy for ‘em, God knows it’s true

But this empty house don’t feel like home without all of you

(bigger, fuller)

Nobody tells you you’re in the good old days

Till the echoes fade and the house don’t shake

You spend your youth just tryin’ to survive

Now you’d sell your soul just to rewind

I raised ‘em right, they’re livin’ life

But this quiet cuts like a knife

I love ‘em more than words can say

Even when it hurts me every day

Yeah, nobody tells you when you’re young and strong

That the good old days… are gone

Outro

If I could go back, man I swear I’d stay

Right there… in those good old days