Verse 1
There’s an old photograph, faded by the years
Young man flexing proud, before the pain and tears
Long hair, calloused hands, fire in his eyes
Never knew back then how fast this life could fly
Factory lines and overtime, trying to make ends meet
Six kids at the table somehow still got fed to eat
Ashley led the way, then Dakota by his side
Then me and Daniel growing up watching him survive
Pre-Chorus
He never had much money
But he gave us everything
Love was the one thing
He always made sure to bring
Chorus
Those strong hands held a family together
Through seven years of hurt and weather
Cancer tried to break the strongest man I knew
But even in the fight, his heart still carried through
He was tired, he was hurting, but he never let us see
How heavy all the world could really be
And I thank God every day for the dad we had
The strongest soul this world could have
Verse 2
Jasmin and Montana wrapped up in his arms
Two little girls still safe from all the harm
That kitchen floor picture says more than words can say
A broken man still giving all he had away
Weight lifting was his passion, iron in his veins
But life can humble anybody underneath the strain
Still he’d smile and joke and try to make us laugh
Even when the cancer took more than half
Pre-Chorus
He taught us love ain’t measured
By the money that you make
It’s showing up exhausted
And still giving what it takes
Chorus
Those strong hands held a family together
Through seven years of hurt and weather
August 28th of 2022
Heaven called home the strongest man we knew
And the world got colder the day he passed away
But his love still guides us every single day
Yeah I thank God every day for the dad we had
The strongest soul this world could have
Bridge
Now every old photo feels alive again
Like somewhere he’s still laughing with his kids and friends
And I still hear his voice when life gets hard
Telling me don’t quit… you’ve come too far
Final Chorus
Those strong hands still hold us together
Past goodbye and forever after
And every lesson that he gave still stands
Built from factory work and weathered hands
He may be gone, but he’ll never really leave
Because a father like that lives through his family
And someday when my own life is through
I’ll shake those strong hands again too
Outro
There’s an old photograph faded by the years…
Still the strongest man I ever knew.
