Mason

They took you from my arms one night,

Said I was poison, said I was wrong.

And I just stood there hollowed out,

A ghost of every country song.

Your crib was quiet as a grave,

Your blanket folded on the chair—

And I swear I felt the devil grin

Like he’d been waiting for me there.

I hit my knees on splintered floors,

Cursed my name and begged for breath.

’Cause losing you don’t feel like loss,

It feels a whole lot more like death.

But something in my busted chest

Lit up like fire in the rain—

A voice that said, “Get up, my son,

And fight your way out of this pain.”

Mason… this is my outlaw cry,

A father bleeding just to stay alive.

I clawed my way through hell and sin,

Just praying I’d get you back again.

I ain’t no hero, but I damn sure tried—

Mason… this is my outlaw cry.

They said a man like me don’t change,

That I was born to lose the fight.

But they ain’t seen a father’s rage

When he’s got God behind his eyes.

I traded whiskey for the truth,

Traded running for the stand—

And every mile I walked toward you

Turned a broken boy into a man.

I pictured you in stranger’s arms,

Wondered if you’d forget my face.

But I kept swinging through the dark,

’Cause love don’t bow and love don’t break.

And when they placed you back with me,

My hands were shaking like a prayer—

I held you close and told the Lord

I’d never lose you anywhere.

Mason… this is my outlaw cry,

A father bleeding just to stay alive.

I clawed my way through hell and sin,

Just praying I’d get you back again.

I ain’t no hero, but I damn sure tried—

Mason… this is my outlaw cry.

One day you’ll ask me where I went,

Why the world felt cold and wrong—

And I’ll tell you how your tiny hands

Pulled me out where I belonged.

You saved a man who’d lost his way,

You lit a fire in my bones—

And every breath I take today

Is proof I fought my way back home.

Now you’re laughing in the yard,

Boots kicking dust into the sky.

And every time you shout “Hey Dad,”

It hits me deep, it sanctifies.

I tuck you in and thank the Lord

For giving me another shot—

To be the man you think I am,

To give you everything I’ve got.

I ain’t the man I used to be,

Ain’t the ghost behind that door—

I’m standing tall, I’m standing clean,

And I ain’t leaving anymore.

Mason… this is my outlaw cry,

A father bleeding just to stay alive.

I clawed my way through hell and sin,

Just praying I’d get you back again.

I ain’t no hero, but I damn sure tried—

Mason… this is my outlaw cry.

Yeah, you’re the boy I’d die to save…

And the reason I came back alive.