Blue Cap on the Dashboard

[Verse 1]
Found your cap on the dashboard
Sweat-stained brim
Bent on the side
Still got mud from the job site
You were cussin'
But you smiled
Ashtray full of your secrets
Old receipts
Folded in two
Doctor's words in a whisper
Everything changed in that room
[Chorus]
Got these
Blue cap on the dashboard blues
Empty chair at the table
And that Sunday afternoon
When they covered you in flowers
And we all tried to stay strong
I lost my daddy
Now I'm just tryin' to carry you on
(tryin' to carry you on)
[Verse 2]
Your boots still by the back door
Laces knotted just like you
Mama talks like you're listenin'
Stares the way you used to do
I drive past your old factory
Windows cracked
Paint peeling down
Hear you say
"Son
Keep your chin up"
But I still pull over and drown
[Chorus]
In these
Blue cap on the dashboard blues
Your old shirt on my shoulders
Smells like sawdust and perfume
Every laugh in this house
Has a missing piece in the tone
I lost my daddy
Now I'm just learnin' to stand here alone
(stand here alone)

Sparse, slow 12/8 blues ballad, male vocals. Fingerpicked hollow-body guitar, upright bass, brushed snare. Verses intimate and close-mic’d; chorus swells with organ pad and soft gospel-style backing harmonies. Subtle slide guitar lines answer vocal phrases, final chorus drops to near a cappella then gently fades with lingering guitar vibrato., blues