The Camp Bully

[Intro]
There’s a place I still go when the night gets long,
Smells like pine trees, sounds like an old camp song.
Where a boy learns fast who he’s gonna be,
When the world first tests his mercy.

[Verse 1]
Mama said, “Son, don’t you ever raise a hand,
A man’s known best by where he stands.”
Summer camp dust, that old lake shore,
Quiet kid heart, tryin’ not to be ignored.
Biggest bully wore a mean-girl grin,
Had a skinny little shadow scared to death of her sin.
Friday night dinner, bring a date if you can,
Funny how camp always made me feel like a man.

[Pre-Chorus]
Anger burns hot but it don’t burn wise,
Leaves scars you don’t see with your eyes.
Some battles end with your pride undone,
Some lessons hurt ‘til the lesson’s won.

[Chorus]
I was raised to be gentle, raised to stand tall,
Raised to turn the other cheek, not swing at all.
But there’s a breaking point when your heart gets crossed,
And standing up sometimes feels like loss.
Yeah, right and wrong can blur that way,
When you’re just a kid tryin’ to do okay.

[Verse 2]
Craft shop table, gravel and glue,
Buildin’ Mama a horse, every stone true.
Two days from home, it was lookin’ just right,
Till she stormed in lookin’ for a fight.
She grabbed that picture, threw it to the ground,
Stomped all my patience into broken sound.
I snapped, I shouted, crossed a line I knew,
Counselors pulled us apart—truth saw it through.

[Chorus]
I was raised to be gentle, raised to stand tall,
Raised to turn the other cheek, not swing at all.
But there’s a breaking point when your heart gets crossed,
And standing up sometimes feels like loss.
Yeah, right and wrong can blur that way,
When you’re just a kid tryin’ to do okay.

Outro / Ending
Next day she said, “Hey, let’s be friends,”
I said, “Friends don’t break you just to bend.”
Years later now, I finally see,
She needed someone to stand up—and set her free.
Maybe God gives us chances dressed in pain,
To love our enemies, break their chains.
Not with fists or fear, but a steady hand,
Lead ‘em toward Him, help ‘em understand.

Country,  folk rock , heartfelt storytelling, soulful vocals