Verse 1
There’s a Chevy up on cinder blocks behind my daddy’s barn
Wrench marks on the workbench, rust stains on my arms
Small town Friday nights, bonfire smoke and beer
Thought I had my whole life planned till she disappeared
She said, “Boy, you’re good-hearted, but you’re standing still”
Left a letter on the counter by the unpaid bills
Now her picture’s face down in a dresser drawer
And I ain’t the same kid I was before
Chorus
So I traded grease on my hands for salt out on the sea
Took a long hard look at what this town made of me
Twenty-two and busted up, trying not to drown
Signed my name in black ink just to turn this thing around
Now there’s dog tags hanging where her necklace used to lay
And every mile from home hurts a little less each day
I don’t know where I’m headed, but I know I had to leave
Yeah, a country mechanic boy joined the Navy just to breathe
Verse 2
Mama cried at breakfast, said she hated letting go
Daddy shook my hand like he already knew I’d go
Said, “Son, life’ll break your heart before it lets you grow
But pain’ll either chain you down or teach you what you know”
Now I’m running drills at sunrise, steel deck under boots
Learning how to stand again instead of chasing truth
Funny how the ocean makes a man feel small
But somehow makes him stronger through it all
Chorus
So I traded grease on my hands for salt out on the sea
Took a long hard look at what this town made of me
Twenty-two and busted up, trying not to drown
Signed my name in black ink just to turn this thing around
Now there’s dog tags hanging where her necklace used to lay
And every mile from home hurts a little less each day
I don’t know where I’m headed, but I know I had to leave
Yeah, a country mechanic boy joined the Navy just to breathe
Bridge
Maybe one day I’ll come back with some miles on my soul
A little less broken, a little more whole
Maybe I’ll thank her for leaving when she did
‘Cause boys don’t stay boys after life caves in
Final Chorus
Yeah, I traded grease on my hands for salt out on the sea
Found out running forward ain’t the same as running free
Twenty-two ain’t old enough to know how life will go
But it’s young enough to start again and strong enough to grow
Now the waves keep rolling like the ache inside my chest
But every day in uniform I feel a little less
Like the lost boy she left standing in her dust back then
Yeah, that country mechanic boy’s becoming a man again