(Verse 1)
I spent my whole life tryin’ to stand
But the ground moved underneath my feet
Some days I flew like a wild wind blows
Some days it felt too hard to speak
But Lord knows I loved with all I had
Even when my hands came up empty
I’d give my last dime to help somebody else
While slowly losin’ pieces of me
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(Verse 2)
I spent most of my life behind the wheel
Chasin’ white lines through the night
Thought bringin’ home a paycheck meant
Somehow I was doin’ something right
But miles steal moments from a man
One highway at a time
Birthdays, ballgames, broken homes
Slipped away between those lines
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(Chorus)
I know I wasn’t the man I should’ve been
Lord knows I tried, but I just couldn’t win
I kept on runnin’ from the war within
While the ones I loved were losing me again
If I could start over from back at the start
I’d spend less time gone and more where you are
And maybe my kids would remember my face
More than goodbye lights and empty space
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(Verse 3)
Late in life, I came to understand
Funny what silence helps you see
Four little lives that needed me more
Than another run to Tennessee
I should’ve saved more than old receipts
And pictures faded by the years
‘Cause love don’t fix what absence breaks
Or dry a family’s tears
No retirement, no safety net
Just memories and unpaid dues
I left too many burdens behind
For the ones I loved to carry through
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(Bridge)
Addiction wore a thousand faces
And I fought every one I could
I kept searchin’ for peace of mind
But never understood
Why I couldn’t slow these restless thoughts
Or ever feel complete
So I kept on runnin’ from myself
Down endless concrete streets
But I’m finally free from all those chains
No more runnin’, no more shame
And wherever souls like mine go next
I’ll be loving you the same
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(Final Chorus)
I know I wasn’t the man I should’ve been
Not the father, husband, brother, or friend
But every scar came from somewhere within
A war I never learned to win
If I could go back now, with all I know
My family would've never had to watch me go
And maybe my kids would remember me more
Than taillights fading through an open door
So don’t just remember my mistakes
Remember my heart beneath my sins
I loved you more than I ever knew how to show
Until the very end
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(Outro – softly spoken or half-sung)
I hope someday you understand…
None of it was lack of love.
I was just a broken man…
Lost in who I was.
(Spoken - softly, emotional)
Goodbye.