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.

Country,sad