Brave Little Heart

[Verse 1]
Tiny socks on the hospital chair
Cartoon car on his T‑shirt there
He asks
“Daddy
Why you staring like that?”
I say
“Buddy
I just like your hair” (yeah)
[Chorus]
Brave little heart in a too-big bed
Tubes and tape where toys should sit instead
If I could trade places
You know I would start
But you still smile
My brave little heart
[Verse 2]
Plastic cup with his name in blue
Sticker crown like a king on cue
He says
“When we go home
Can we still build that fort?”
I say
“Yeah
We’ll make it bigger than the moon”
[Chorus]
Brave little heart in a too-big bed
Tubes and tape where toys should sit instead
If I could trade places
You know I would start
But you still smile
My brave little heart
[Bridge]
I count the drips
He counts the stars
Draws a rocket ship
Over all these scars
I’m falling apart
He’s making me art (oh)
[Chorus]
Brave little heart in a too-big bed
Hope on the wall where the pictures hang crooked
If I could take every shadow
I’d tear it apart
Till all that’s left
Is my brave little heart
[Outro]
So sleep
My boy
I’ll stand guard in the dark
Till the sun comes back
For my brave little heart

Tender acoustic ballad with intimate male vocals; close-miked guitar and soft piano share the lead, light brushed drums enter on the first chorus. Verses stay hushed and conversational; chorus swells with airy harmonies and a warm bass undercurrent. Bridge lifts with subtle strings and a single high harmony, then everything drops to almost a whisper for the final chorus.