[Verse 1]
Heaven felt close that first winter
Like I was floating just off the ground
Didn’t have much past a high school name
But loving you made me stand straighter somehow
I wanted your family to see me standing
Not just a kid from where I’m from
So I bought a suit in downtown Brooklyn
Seventy-five dollars, thin as hell, but I ran in it anyway
I chased interviews all through the boroughs
Subways, sidewalks, borrowed pride
Wore that Borough Hall badge like armor
Even when the work didn’t pay a dime
[Pre-Chorus]
I was learning how to carry my name
Learning how to ask for more
Loving you made me brave enough
To knock on one last door
[Chorus]
I couldn’t leave that office empty-handed
I couldn’t walk back into our life the same
I wasn’t running from where I came from
I was running toward who I’d become
You already loved me where I was
But I was fighting to love me too
So I stood my ground and said it out loud
I’m doing this for you
[Verse 2]
She said, “You’ve got room to grow, son”
And I felt the floor give way
Shook her hand, walked down that hallway
Trying not to break that day
Then I turned around, heart in my throat
Opened that door one more time
Said, “Ma’am, I can’t leave without a chance”
Love made my voice stronger than doubt that night
She said, “Anyone who fights that hard for love
Is someone I want beside me”
That’s how a job turned into a future
That’s how a crack became a key
[Pre-Chorus]
I didn’t need a perfect plan
Just a reason that felt true
Every step I took that year
I took it back to you
[Chorus]
I couldn’t leave that office empty-handed
I couldn’t walk back into our life the same
I wasn’t running from where I came from
I was running toward who I’d become
You already loved me where I was
But I was fighting to love me too
So I stood my ground and said it out loud
I’m doing this for you
[Bridge]
I wasn’t chasing titles
I wasn’t chasing pride
I just didn’t want you loving
A man who never tried
East Harlem keys in my shaking hand
First place that was really ours
Cabs to work, director title
City nights, brand-new stars
More money than I’d ever seen
More hope than I knew how to hold
Everything I promised you
Was finally something I could show
[Final Chorus]
I didn’t leave that year empty-handed
I left it standing taller than before
From a thin suit to an open door
I learned what love was for
You saw a man becoming real
When I couldn’t see it yet come true
Every door that finally opened
Opened because of you
[Outro]
If heaven ever touched the ground
It sounded like keys in a lock
Year one taught me how to stand
And I never forgot
JLWatkins
