Before You Go

Verse 1

I packed your bag the night before,

Folded shirts I used to buy,

Your boots by the door look bigger now,

Like time just hurried by.

You say you’re ready, say you’re sure,

You say this is your choice,

But I still hear the little boy

In your grown-up voice.

Chorus

Your father taught you how to stand your ground,

How to work with your hands, never back down,

I taught you how to listen, how to care,

How to carry your strength with a little prayer.

He raised the man you’ve grown into today,

I raised the heart that leads your way,

So if the world puts a weapon in your hand,

Remember — I raised the gentleman.

Verse 2

They talk about the world out there,

Lines in sand and reasons why,

They call it duty, call it honor,

But they never say goodbye.

I taught you how to hold a door,

How to help, not how to hate,

I didn’t raise you for a war

Decided by a date.

Instrumental Solo 1

(Warm, reflective guitar or piano solo — slow build, emotional, early-morning feel)

Verse 3

I’ll watch the news with the sound turned low,

Every name will feel like you,

I’ll count the days by coffee cups

And texts that don’t come through.

If fear could keep you standing here,

You’d never leave this town,

But love means letting go of you

Without letting you down.

Verse 4

Promise me you’ll stay the same

When everything feels wrong,

That you’ll remember who you are

When nights feel way too long.

If orders tell you to forget

The mercy that I gave,

Hear my voice inside your head:

You were born to save.

Chorus

Your father taught you how to stand your ground,

How to work with your hands, never back down,

I taught you how to listen, how to care,

How to carry your strength with a little prayer.

He raised the man you’ve grown into today,

I raised the heart that leads your way,

So if the world puts a weapon in your hand,

Remember — I raised the gentleman.

Instrumental Solo 2

(Full emotional lift — guitar/violin/synth lead, hopeful but restrained, cinematic)

Verse 5

So go — but know this every step,

No matter where you land,

You’re not a number, rank, or cause,

You’re still my son, my hand.

And when this chapter finally ends

And you walk back through that door,

I won’t ask what you had to do —

I’ll just love you more.

Final Chorus

Your father taught you how to stand your ground,

I taught you how to lift others when they’re down,

He raised the man the world will see,

I raised the soul you’ll always be,

So wherever duty makes you stand,

Never forget where you began —

He raised the man…

I raised the gentleman.