Before I Go

(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

⸻

(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

⸻

(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.