[Verse 1]
Signed my name on that dotted line
Came back home, had to redesign
Whole damn life in a waiting room
Paperwork high as the harvest moon
They ask me
"Can you stand, can you lift, can you drive?"
But they don't ask me
"What makes you feel alive?"
[Chorus]
I'm a veteran, I bled and I prayed
I can work where I want, where my heart got made
In the blues, in the soul, in the gospel flame
If I'm strong enough to serve
I'm strong enough to choose my lane
Yeah, I'm strong enough to choose my lane (oh yeah)
[Verse 2]
They talk rules in a language cold
But my story ain't typed in bold
It's late nights
Mic stand, small stage haze
Church pews
Hands raised, old-school praise
They can measure my body with a checklist sheet
But they can't fence in where my calling meets my feet
[Chorus]
I'm a veteran, I bled and I prayed
I can work where I want, where my heart got made
In the blues, in the soul, in the gospel flame
If I'm strong enough to serve
I'm strong enough to choose my lane
Yeah, I'm strong enough to choose my lane (hey!)
[Bridge]
Put the stamp on the letter
Say, "I know my worth"
I earned every right
From the sand to this earth
You can counsel, you can claim
You can sign your name in ink
But my work, my work
That's mine to link
[Chorus]
I'm a veteran, I bled and I prayed
I can work where I want, where my heart got made
In the blues, in the soul, in the gospel flame
If I'm strong enough to serve
I'm strong enough to choose my lane
Yeah, I'm strong enough to choose my lane