Verse 1
I kiss the house goodbye before the sun,
Boots by the door, another long run.
Backpacks heavy with years and miles,
Pictures on my phone showing changing smiles.
I miss first words, I miss first steps,
Bedtime stories I haven’t read yet.
I watch them grow through a screen’s blue light,
Telling myself this is still worth the fight.
Chorus
I’m serving time in another land,
Trading moments for a bigger plan.
Losing days I’ll never reclaim,
Carrying love like a hidden flame.
I’ll miss birthdays, holidays too,
But everything I do is still for you.
I’m counting down till the uniform fades—
Till I can give back the time I paid.
Verse 2
I found my brothers in every state,
Different accents, same damn weight.
Shared cigarettes, jokes too dark,
Trust built fast in the after-dark.
We crossed the world, learned foreign skies,
Saw life and death eye to eye.
Did what had to be done back then,
So danger wouldn’t follow them.
Bridge
I’ve seen places most never will,
Felt fear lock in and time stand still.
We put evil where it couldn’t stand,
So peace could sleep back home again.
But every mission, every scar,
Pulled me further from where my people are.
Final Chorus / Outro
One day the orders finally end,
No more goodbyes, no “see you then.”
I’ll trade my rank for a slower pace,
For mornings spent in a familiar place.
I’ll be there fully, not just in name,
No uniform, no constant strain.
Until that day, I’ll stand the line—
Doing my duty… counting time.
For the love I miss, the life I owe,
I’ll come back whole—
And finally be home.