[Verse 1]
I left the block with a duffel bag
Spun through smoke and busted glass
Mama said, boy, keep your head up high
I learned quick how the hard days pass
Boots still clean when I caught that train
New town heat and a paper name
Then I traded them tower views
For a porch, a field, and a sky of blue
[Pre-Chorus]
Now the road I know
Ain't paved at all
It bends through pines
And a red dirt draw
[Chorus]
City boy turned country
City boy turned country
Hands in the dirt now
Heart steady and sturdy
I came home for my son
I came home for my name
City boy turned country
Ain't nobody take that change
[Verse 2]
Army years put lines on me
Mud, cold rain, and uncertainty
We moved at night through a breathless land
Learned to trust what was close at hand
Then I held my baby boy
He had my eyes and my little joy
I swore right there, no matter the cost
He'd know a man don't measure loss
[Pre-Chorus]
I wear my years
Like a welcome scar
He sees that pride
When I park the car
[Chorus]
City boy turned country
City boy turned country
Hands in the dirt now
Heart steady and sturdy
I came home for my son
I came home for my name
City boy turned country
Ain't nobody take that change
[Bridge]
Now I rise with the sun
Not because I have to
Because my boy needs
A man to lean into
I can still hear my old block
In the back of my mind
But this front porch life
Gave me peace I never found
[Chorus]
City boy turned country
City boy turned country
Hands in the dirt now
Heart steady and sturdy
I came home for my son
I came home for my name
City boy turned country
Ain't nobody take that change
[Outro]
Yeah, I wore my old life
Like a faded shirt
Now I plant my feet
And I know my worth
City boy turned country
City boy turned country