[Verse 1]
Back in school they’d pass around
“What you wanna be?” written down
Astronauts and big-time stars
Kids talkin’ ‘bout drivin’ fancy cars
I just shrugged, didn’t say too much
Didn’t dream about fame or a million bucks
While they were chasin’ the sky above
I was dreamin’ ‘bout a steady kind of love
[Verse 2]
Recess came, I’d drift away
Watchin’ dads at the end of the day
Kids runnin’ fast, jumpin’ in their arms
Safe and sound in their father’s calm
I’d take pictures in my mind
Hold ‘em close, frame by frame in time
Promised myself, “One day I’ll be
The man that little kid needs to see”
[Pre-Chorus]
Didn’t know how, didn’t know when
But I swore I’d break where I’d been
[Chorus]
I just wanted to be a husband, a father
Build a life that was stronger, not harder
A hand to hold, a heart to keep
A home where love runs deep
Not a spotlight, not a name in lights
Just a porch and laughter every night
All I ever dreamed, from the very start
Was a family I could give my heart
[Verse 3]
Years rolled on, I’d see ‘em still
Candlelight dinners up on the hill
A man pullin’ out his woman’s chair
The kind of love that says, “I care”
I’d smile soft, like I belonged
Even when I felt I’d waited too long
Holdin’ onto a quiet prayer
“For someone to love me, and let me be there”
[Pre-Chorus]
Then you walked in, and everything changed
Every empty space rearranged
[Chorus]
Now I’m a husband, I’m a father
Buildin’ a life that’s stronger, not harder
A hand to hold, a heart to keep
A home where love runs deep
No spotlight, no name in lights
Just your laugh beside me every night
All I ever dreamed, from the very start
Is finally livin’ here in my heart
[Bridge]
Two years in, and the world stood still
When they said, “She’s here,” I felt that fill
Tiny hands, and your mother’s eyes
Isabela… my whole life
Every picture I held inside
Came alive the moment you cried
Every promise I made back then
Found its way to this moment again
[Final Chorus]
Now I’m a husband, I’m a father
Holdin’ a love I never thought I’d harbor
A hand so small wrapped tight in mine
A living dream I waited a lifetime
No spotlight, no name in lights
Just this miracle every night
All I ever dreamed, from the very start
Is right here… beatin’ in my arms
I used to watch from far away
Dreamin’ ‘bout this very day
Now I don’t have to wonder what it means…
I’m livin’ the dream I used to dream