My daddy’s a stranger now

I used to hear him curse the morning

Coffee shaking in his hand

Eyes all red from chasing something

That never turned into a plan

Silent dinners, empty Sundays

Walking on eggshells in our home

I learned early how to leave a room

Before that storm would start to blow

Then he put his hand on the Bible, hand on the wheel

Said, "I'm so tired of losing what is real"

Poured that poison down the kitchen sink

Looked at me and said, "I can't go back to how I used to drink"

Now he's laughing in the yard, making up for all those years

Yeah my daddy's still my daddy

But he's a stranger I’m glad is here

Now he’s up before the sunrise

Ties his boots, then packs his lunch

Asks me how my day is going

And he listens, really does

He still keeps that old side table

But it just holds his memories now

Hands finally steady like a hammer

His memory doesn’t fade away

Same blue eyes, different kind of light

I see peace where there was doubt

Daddy did you know how proud we are of you now

I still hear the slammed doors sometimes

In the back roads of my mind

But I’ve got my answer now

We both made it out alive

And when he folds his hands at night

I can tell he finally feels

Like the man he always wanted to be

Sitting right there at our table

Making his family proud