Prompt / Lyrics
[Verse 1] Dianna I know this ink will shake when you unfold it Sand in every crease I hear the sirens in the distance while I hold it They say we might move out tonight They don’t say who ain’t movin’ back I tape your pictures to the wall So I don’t stare into the black Jess You still draw on the margins? Hearts and horses on your math page I’m missin’ every little moment While this desert keeps me trapped in the same day Connie Tell me ’bout your spelling tests And how you always overthink ’em Emily You’re too young to read this yet But one day you’ll feel every sentence I’ve written I ain’t a hero I’m a kid that grew up scared Wrote my name on dotted lines ’Cause I was lost I was angry I was unprepared But somehow I became your shelter A shaky roof in a hard rain I failed a lot before I met you You made me wanna change my name [Pre-Chorus] There’s a photo in my pocket You on that porch in July Every time the ground shakes under me I kiss it like it’s still alive If I don’t step through that front door If they fold this flag instead of me I need you to hear this now ’Cause I might never get to speak [Chorus] If this is my last letter home Read it slow so it lasts a little longer Tell my girls their dad was scared But he stayed when the fear got stronger Tell Jess I kept her bracelet on Till the dust turned it from pink to gray Tell Connie every time I prayed out here It was your names that I would say Hold Emily when she asks Why her daddy never called her name Say I loved her like I knew her face Even if I never got to see that day If this is my last letter home Don’t let my memory just be a folded flag When they say I gave my life for this Tell ’em Really I gave it all for you back home I never had [Verse 2] Dianna I remember your voice On that payphone on my first night You tried to hide the tremble in it I tried to act like I was alright You said “Come back better Not broken” I laughed it off like I was tough But every time the sky exploded I whispered “God I think I’ve had enough” I’m sorry for the holes I punched in walls Before I ever wore this uniform Sorry for the nights I left you cryin’ Drunk and distant Ragin’ at the storm I came here thinkin’ I’d redeem that man Trade my guilt for some kind of pride But I just found out courage isn’t loud It’s layin’ awake Shakin’ in the dark Still stayin’ in the fight Jess Don’t chase my shadow Don’t enlist to fix my sins You don’t owe this country what I owed myself You ain’t gotta bleed to feel like you belong in your own skin Connie When the world feels heavy You can put it in a song Not a rifle Let the words be your weapon Let your kindness be your title Emily If you find this when you’re older And the pages start to fall apart Know every second I had left I spent it writin’ you inside my heart [Pre-Chorus] There’s a necklace in my duffel With your initial on a chain If a stranger ever brings it to you Know I whispered all your names If I don’t walk off that tarmac If your tears hit that wooden pew Promise me you’ll live a bigger life Than anything I ever knew [Chorus] If this is my last letter home Read it slow so it lasts a little longer Tell my girls their dad was scared But he stood when the fear got stronger Tell Jess I kept her bracelet on Till the dust turned it from pink to gray Tell Connie every time I prayed out here It was your faces I would trace Hold Emily
Tags
Cinematic rap ballad over heavy, minor-key piano with intimate male vocals; first verse sparse and close-mic’d, breaths and page turns audible. Orchestra slowly swells—low strings and distant choirs—building tension into a massive, chest-thumping hook. Second verse adds punchy drums and staccato strings, then strips back to bare piano and soft strings for the final lines, ending on a held vocal and lingering reverb tail., orchestral, heartfelt, raw, ballad
Duration
4:43
Instrumental
No
Created
2/2/2026