Dust on my tailgate

Verse 1

Sun comin’ up on a two-lane road,

Coffee burnin’ in a chipped white mug,

Radio hums like it knows my soul,

Every song sounds like where I’m from.

Got a name carved deep in my dashboard grain,

From a summer I thought would never end,

Funny how time just steals your plans,

Leaves you older, but you still pretend.

Chorus

There’s dust on the tailgate, stars in my eyes,

A prayer in the silence of a Texas night,

I’ve loved, I’ve lost, I’ve stayed, I’ve run,

But this old truck still knows who I was.

Yeah, life hits hard, but I won’t fake it,

I wear my scars like a badge I made it,

If I go down, I’ll go down honest and late,

With my heart on my sleeve and dust on the tailgate.

Verse 2

Mama said, “Boy, don’t chase the flame,

Some fires only burn you cold,”

Daddy just laughed, said, “Let him learn,

That’s the only way a man gets grown.”

I’ve seen goodbye in a rearview glance,

Watched love fade like county lines,

But I still believe in second chances,

And leaving just enough behind.

Chorus

There’s dust on the tailgate, stars in my eyes,

A wish on a bottle I didn’t throw twice,

I’ve bent, I’ve broke, but I stayed awake,

Heard my truth in the choices I make.

Yeah, hope’s a gamble, but I’ll still take it,

Even when the odds say I shouldn’t make it,

If I go down, I’ll go down this way,

With my boots on the ground and dust on the tailgate.

Bridge

One day I’ll slow down, maybe settle in,

Put my name on a quiet piece of land,

Till then I’m just doin’ the best I can,

Chasin’ grace with a steering wheel in my hands.

Final Chorus

There’s dust on the tailgate, dawn breakin’ blue,

Every mile’s a promise I make to you,

I ain’t perfect, but I ain’t fake,

Just a heart that beats for the chance I take.

When they write my name on a cold steel plate,

Say I lived my life, didn’t hesitate,

Yeah, I left my mark, I didn’t wait—

Just dust on the tailgate.