Daddy’s Side Of The Story

[Verse 1]
You walk in with your jaw set tight
Eyes like you’ve been choosing sides
I see her words still on your phone
Like carved-in stone
Like they’re your own
[Chorus]
If you only knew Daddy’s side of the story
All the nights I drove around so you could sleep and not hear the fight
If you only knew all the things I never told you
How many times I took the blame just to keep your world all right
You think I walked away so easy
But you don’t see what I had to carry
If you only knew Daddy’s side of the story
[Verse 2]
You heard I missed your big first game
Truth is I was outside in the rain
Judge called late
Said I was done
Had your name on every tongue
[Chorus]
If you only knew Daddy’s side of the story
All the doors that slammed on me while I was trying not to slam my fist
If you only knew every letter that came back to me
Every birthday on the calendar that I marked and somehow still missed
You think I chose the quiet distance
But I was shouting through the limits
If you only knew Daddy’s side of the story
[Bridge]
I’m not asking you to hate her
I’m not asking you to choose
I’m just standing in this kitchen
With a whole life you could lose
[Chorus]
If you only knew Daddy’s side of the story
How I kept your picture in my truck so I could talk to you at red lights
If you only knew I built a room you’ve never seen
Painted walls your favorite color from that summer when you were five
You think I’m just a faded chapter
But I’ve been here through every after
If you only knew Daddy’s side of the story

folk, Moody acoustic ballad with male vocals, fingerpicked guitar and soft kick/snare groove; verse stays hushed and intimate, then chorus swells with stacked harmonies and warm bass; subtle organ pads bloom in the bridge, final chorus drops to near a cappella before the band slips back in on the last line