[Verse 1]
Two empty shoes by the door
Little hands on the screen
Mama stared at the porch light
Like it might explain what she'd seen
He left a truck in the drive
Left a coat on the hook
Left two kids asking why
And a whole house shook
[Pre-Chorus]
No note on the table
No map for the rain
Just a hole in the family
And a name turned to pain
[Chorus]
Who tells the kids?
Who heals this cut?
Who tells the kids?
When the well runs shut
Who tells the kids?
What they did not cause
He left a wound
And no answers for the loss
[Verse 2]
Boy kept his father's boots
Girl wore his ring on a chain
They learned to smile for the daylight
Then fall apart in the same
Every birthday felt heavy
Every Sunday too long
The silence sat at the table
Like it owned every song
[Pre-Chorus]
And the church doors were open
But the words felt thin
When a heart breaks that deep
It takes more than a hymn
[Chorus]
Who tells the kids?
Who heals this cut?
Who tells the kids?
When the well runs shut
Who tells the kids?
What they did not cause
He left a wound
And no answers for the loss
[Bridge]
Years went by like gravel
Under a slow black rain
They grew up around the question
Learned to carry the name
One day they lit a candle
For the man they could not keep
Said, "We won't chase the ending
We'll guard the ones who sleep"
[Final Chorus]
Who tells the kids?
You were not the blame
Who tells the kids?
It was never your shame
Who tells the kids?
You were loved, my darlings
He left a wound
But you still get a morning
[Outro]
Two empty shoes by the door
Now the house knows why
But the kids keep living
And they learn to try