Thank You for the Storm

Beer cans open like thunder in the sky

I’m sittin’, hiding in my room, just askin’ why

A child too young to know the rules

But old enough to dodge your booze

You’d rage like clockwork, same old show

The tv would rile you, and after me you’d go

I’d ride that bike down to town

Chasin’ silence, feeling the freedom round

In the wind, I’d make believe

I was someone else, finally free

So thank you for the storm, for the scars and the rain

For showin’ me the monster that hides behind the pain

You taught me what I’d never do, what love should never be

I swore I’d break the chain—so my kids could just be free

And every bruise you left behind

Built the backbone in my spine

I’m not bitter anymore…

I just thank you for the storm

You’d say, “Who hurt you?” like it weren’t you

Like the truth just slipped right past you too

But I remember the pain of every slam of your fist

And prayin’ for it all to end in the reflection of that blade against my wrist

I never tried to get attention, never heard I love you

Don’t show weakness, you could smell it, this I knew

But strength ain’t born in love and light

It’s built in lonely, sleepless nights

So thank you for the storm, for the scars and the rain

For showin’ me the monster that hides behind the pain

You taught me what I’d never do, what love should never be

I swore I’d break the chain—so my kids could just be free

And every bruise you left behind

Built the backbone in my spine

I’m not bitter anymore…

I just thank you for the storm

I don’t drink, I don’t numb my soul

’Cause I saw what happens when you lose control

And I hold my babies, kiss their heads

Tuck ’em in safe, no tears in bed

So thank you for the storm, for the thunder in my past

It lit a fire inside my heart that finally outlasts

You taught me what a man is not, and what a dad should be

So I became the one I needed you to be

And every bruise you left behind

Built the armor on this spine

I’m not broken anymore…

I just thank you for the storm