Not By Blood, But By Choice

[Verse 1]
Met you in pink sneakers
Hiding halfway down the hall
Your mama said, "This is my girl"
You barely said a word at all
I learned your bedtime stories
Where you like your blankets tucked
How you take your pancakes
One big bite, then you look up
[Chorus]
Not by blood, but by choice
I showed up, I stayed, I raised my voice
At the monsters in your closet
At the storms that shook your room
I’m not the man who gave you
Your eyes or your name
But I’d stand in the fire
Just the same
Not by blood, but by choice
Love knows no bounds with you, my girl, my joy
[Verse 2]
First time that you called me
Didn’t use my given name
Just yelled, "Hey, can you help me?"
Like it’d always been that way
School plays, crooked pictures
Little hand inside my hand
Sometimes I see him in your features
And I try to understand
[Bridge]
I know there’s a page in your story
That I’ll never get to write
But I can hold this chapter
Hold you close tonight
And if someday you wonder
Who would fight for you the most
Look back on every birthday candle
Every late-night "drive me home"
[Chorus]
[Chorus]

country, Slow 90s country ballad with male vocals, brushed drums, steel guitar swells, and warm acoustic strums. Verses stay close and conversational, sitting low and intimate; chorus lifts with harmony pads and crying fiddle. Subtle piano doubles the vocal on emotional lines, with a small dynamic swell into the final chorus then a gentle fade on a held guitar chord., sad, ballad