Father In The Rearview

[Verse 1]
Tiny room
Paint peeled corners
You worked late
I heard the door
Early hurt
On a school day morning
You said "stand up"
Then you said "more"
[Chorus]
I feel stronger in the breaking
All those nights you held your ground
Father in the rearview
Still riding through this town
Time flies by so quick
So brutal
I still reach like you are near
Every scar you gave me courage
I keep your shadow here
[Verse 2]
Old blue coat
That you left hanging
Still smells faint
Like winter rain
I replay
Every hard-edged lesson
Now they sound
Like softer waves
[Chorus]
I feel stronger in the breaking
All those nights you held your ground
Father in the rearview
Still riding through this town
Time flies by so quick
So brutal
I still reach like you are near
Every scar you gave me courage
I keep your shadow here
[Bridge]
Did you know I’d make it?
Would you even recognize
This tired face in the mirror
Or the fire in my eyes? (yeah)
I carry your silence
Like a song I never learned
But the ache keeps turning
Turning
[Chorus]
I feel stronger in the breaking
All those nights you held your ground
Father in the rearview
Still riding through this town
Time flies by so quick
So tender
I still wish that you were here
Every scar you gave me courage
I keep your shadow here (here)
I keep your shadow here

rock, Indie rock meets hazy ambient; male vocals, close and intimate at first over soft tremolo guitar and warm pads. Drums enter with a dusty, mid-tempo groove in the first chorus, bass staying melodic but restrained. Guitars swell and shimmer in the bridge, reverb tails stretching the space as vocals grow rougher and more emotional. Final chorus strips back to voice, pads, and a single guitar line, ending on a lingering chord., ambient, indie rock