Boots on Foreign Ground

Intro (8 bars)

(Acoustic guitar + muted drums, steel slide pickup lick)

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Verse 1

I was twenty-one with a buzz cut head
Green duffel bag and a plane ticket west
Momma cried but she held it in
Daddy said “son, go make us proud of who you’ve been”

I traded Friday nights for camouflage
Learned real quick what brotherhood costs
Different flags, different skies
But the same stars shining every night

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Pre-Chorus

Yeah I’ve stood where the maps don’t fold
Heard freedom ring in another tongue
But every mile that I’ve ever roamed
Pulled me closer to where I’m from

(Melody climbs, drums build)

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Chorus (BIG HOOK)

I’ve had my boots on foreign ground
Seen the whole world upside down
From desert sand to ocean towns
But nothing feels like coming back around

Yeah I’ve saluted flags I don’t call mine
Counted days on a dotted line
I’ve been everywhere duty’s found
But home’s the only place that slows me down

(Hook line repeat ad-lib)
“Home’s the only place that slows me down”

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Post-Chorus Hook (4 bars)

(Gang vocals)
Slow me down… yeah slow me down
Home’s the only place that slows me down

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Verse 2

Postcards from a different life
Midnight watch and a sunrise flight
Shared a laugh with a foreign friend
Different story, same hope in the end

I’ve watched the world from a cargo door
Heard my name in a welcome roar
That driveway never looked so small
But it carried everything I missed the most of all

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Pre-Chorus 2

Every road had a reason why
Every goodbye taught me grace
But every time I closed my eyes
I saw your face

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Chorus (Repeat – Full Band)

I’ve had my boots on foreign ground
Seen the whole world upside down
From desert sand to ocean towns
But nothing feels like coming back around

Yeah I’ve saluted flags I don’t call mine
Counted days on a dotted line
I’ve been everywhere duty’s found
But home’s the only place that slows me down

⸻

Bridge (Break it Down – Half Time Feel)

If I don’t make it back tonight
Tell the kids I tried to do it right
Tell ‘em freedom’s more than words
It’s the sound of a screen door and gravel under tires

(Band swells back in)

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Final Chorus (Double Chorus / Lifted Melody)

I’ve had my boots on foreign ground
Seen the whole world upside down
Heard freedom’s heartbeat pound
In every place my shadow found

But I’d trade it all just one more time
For your hand slipping into mine
I’ve been everywhere duty’s found
But home’s the only place that slows me down

⸻

Outro (Hook Reprise – Fade)

Yeah home’s the only place that slows me down
(Steel guitar rides out)

Tempo: ~104 BPM Key: G Major Time: 4/4 Vibe: Upbeat country with heart — driving drums, acoustic strum, electric lead