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Lyrics
[Verse 1]
It’s ’03
Sand in my teeth
Ink on my hand
Blood on my sleeve
They said write it out
“Just in case”
How you say goodbye
To three little faces
Baby, I’m scared
More than I’ve said
Sleep with my boots
Dreams full of lead
I fold you in prayers
Like letters in drawers
Still smell your shampoo
On a shirt from before
Tell Ellie I kept
Her picture in my vest
Tell May I kept her bracelet
Pressed against my chest
And Hope, she was sleeping
When I left that dawn
Kissed her soft hair
Like I’d be back by dawn
I lied
I know I did
Said, “Daddy’s fine
I’ll be home, my kids”
[Pre-Chorus]
But this desert writes the truth
Across the sky for me
If I don’t come back
Then these words have to breathe
[Chorus]
Live for me
Even if my body never leaves this field
Give my girls the kind of love
That my armor couldn’t shield
If you ever wear my dog tags
Let them hang, but don’t you kneel
Dry your eyes, don’t break for me
Wipe the stone and make a deal
Say, “I will live for him
Raise these babies wild and free
Laugh too loud, love too hard
Do everything he couldn’t see”
If the flag comes to the door
Don’t let it take your dreams
Hold them close and live for me
Yeah, live for me
[Verse 2]
You remember that night
Couch springs, cheap wine
You traced every scar
Said, “You’ll come back fine”
I swallowed the fear
Like it’s standard gear
Can’t let the boys see
One crack, one tear
But I’m writing you shaking
Gun metal in my lungs
Every boom in the distance
Sounds like our girls when they’re young
Ellie with her questions
May with scraped knees
Hope with her thumb
And the cartoons on TV
Tell them I wasn’t brave
I was just theirs
One ring on my finger
Three ribbons in their hair
If some knock on the door
Gives you folded cloth
Don’t curse my name
Curse the cost
But don’t teach them to hate
What I wore on my sleeve
Teach them how to stand up
When they want to leave
[Pre-Chorus]
I don’t want a statue
Or a rank on a stone
I want you at that table
Never eating alone
[Chorus]
Live for me
Even if my body never leaves this field
Give my girls the kind of love
That my armor couldn’t shield
If you ever wear my dog tags
Let them hang, but don’t you kneel
Dry your eyes, don’t break for me
Wipe the stone and make a deal
Say, “I will live for him
Raise these babies wild and free
Laugh too loud, love too hard
Do everything he couldn’t see”
If the flag comes to the door
Don’t let it take your dreams
Hold them close and live for me
Yeah, live for me
[Bridge]
If a boy says he’s broken
But he swears that he’ll change
Hear my voice in your heartbeat
Running through your veins
You don’t owe me your sorrow
You don’t owe me your pain
You owe me your tomorrow
Walking through the rain
Tell Hope if she forgets
How my real voice sounds
It’s okay, baby girl
I’m still around
In the lullaby hum
In the slam of a door
In your “I’m not afraid”
When you hit the floor
[Chorus]
Live for me
Even if my body never leaves this field
Give my girls the kind of love
That my armor couldn’t shield
If you ever wear my dog tags
Let them hang, but don’t you kneel
Dry your eyes, don’t break for me
Wipe the stone and make a deal
Say, “I will live for him
Raise these babies wild and free
Laugh too loud, love too hard
Do everything he couldn’t see”
If the flag comes to the door
Don’t let it take your dreams
Hold them close and
Details
GeneratedFeb 2, 2026
Duration3:53
LanguageEnglish
Style
rap, Cinematic hip-hop ballad with heavy, close-miked piano and dark orchestral swells; verses in confessional male vocals that shift between anxious whispers and sharp, double-time runs, hook soars in half-sung chant with stacked harmonies and distant choir, low strings and booming toms build to an aching climax then drop to sparse keys for the final lines, raw, heartfelt, ballad, orchestral
Credits
Prompt by
Burnzy
BurnzyModelAria v5
Prompt
Cinematic NF/Eminem ballad. A soldier’s death letter from 2003. To my wife and 3 daughters. Heartfelt, protective, raw. Heavy piano, orchestral build. 'Live for me.' Vulnerable, haunting, iconic., rap
