Prompt / Lyrics
“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.
Tags
Country western
Duration
3:28
Instrumental
No
Created
2/27/2026