Untitled

“You Chose the Bottle”

Verse 1

You weren’t husband to my mama

Just a rumor with my eyes

Left her standing in the doorway

Full of cheap apologies and lies

I was six on that cold driveway

Hands stuffed in a worn-out coat

Listening for your busted Chevy

Instead I heard the bar last call choke

You said you’d come and get me

Said, “Boy, be ready at five”

Five turned into midnight

While that bottle kept you alive

⸻

Chorus

You chose the bottle over me

Chose that burn over family

Left your kid in the dark to wait

While you drank with your mistakes

You tried to buy my love with cash

Like a carburetor from the past

But money don’t hold a shaking hand

And liquor don’t make a man

⸻

Verse 2

You were a god with a socket wrench

Best mechanic in this town

Could make a dead truck roar again

But you let your own blood down

Grease ran deeper than your veins

Steel got more of your time

You fixed every stranger’s engine

But you never fixed what was mine

I learned to turn a wrench from you

Learned how to bust my knuckles raw

But I also learned exactly

What a real dad ain’t supposed to be at all

⸻

Chorus

You chose the bottle over me

Left your name but not the decency

Handed me your last name tag

Like that should make me glad

But a name don’t mean a damn thing

If it don’t come with a wedding ring

Or a man who shows up sober

When his little boy needs a shoulder

⸻

Bridge (Explodes)

You don’t deserve that title

Don’t deserve that word

“Father” ain’t biology

It’s every promise heard

And kept.

And you kept none.

But I had a man who stepped in strong

Didn’t share your bloodline

He showed up every single time

That’s why his last name’s mine

⸻

Final Chorus (Angrier, Harder)

You chose the bottle — that’s the truth

Chose that poison over youth

Over porch lights left on late

Over a son you made wait

You can drown in your regret

I ain’t drowning in it yet

You gave me rage and motor oil

Another man gave me loyal

⸻

Outro

So here’s to every driveway night

Every lie you swore was right

You were my father by mistake —

But a real dad?

That man you could never fake.