Bad Father

I remember Sunday mornings
Dust on the old wood floor
Coffee brewin', bacon sizzlin'
But I never stayed for more
He wanted me to teach him
How to ride and rope and spin
But I was lost out in the shadows
Chasin' dreams that wouldn't win

Now the boots I left behind
Echo in his heart
A little boy's love turned bitter
'Cause I played the careless part
With every mile I rode away
I buried my goodbye
And now I'm the man he grew to be
Won't let the past slide by
'Caus i buried my goodbye
I see him at the county fair
Tears in his toughened eyes
He's got oh, my old guitar in hand
And the songs just make him cry
He strums the chords of silence
While the crowd just walks on by
I used to sing him lullabies
Now he can't stand my lies

Now the boots I left behind
Echo in his heart
A little boy's love turned bitter
'Cause I played the careless part
With every mile I rode away
I buried my goodbye
And now the man he grew to be
Won't let the past slide by

I wish I had a second chance
To stand and face my son
To tell him he was worth it
To love him and not to run
But the years are like a river
They don't flow back to the start
Just a cowboy lost in memories
And a heavy, broken heart

So I'll sit here on this porch swing
With the whiskey and my shame
Wishing for a brand-new day
To rewrite all my pain
But those boots I left behind
Will haunt me till I die
A cowboy lost in broken dreams
Just learning to say goodbye

Out on the ranch, the sun starts to rise
I hear a soft whisper of a long-lost goodbye
A worn-out saddle, feels heavy on my chest
I remember your laughter, son, and I can't rest
I can't rest
We'd ride 'til the sunset, just you and me
Through fields of wildflowers, so wild and free
But I was too busy with my whiskey and pride
Left you waiting, boy, when you wanted, just for a ride

Oh, the dust of regret, it clings to my soul
Every heartache I caused, now I feel the toll
I hear your voice echo, "Dad, you weren't here,"
Now I'm just a ghost, lost in my despair
I see you at the bar
I see you at the bar
I see you at the bar
I see you at the bar
I see you at the bar, your eyes cold as steel
A knife in my heart as I know how you feel
Remember the campfire, the stories we'd tell
Now it's just silence, and I'm trapped in this hell

Your first little fishing pole, by the old oak tree
I recall those warm days, just you and me
But I chose the bottle, over being your guide
Now I face the truth; I can't run, i can't hide

I wish I could turn back the hands of the clock
Make up for the years that I lost like a rock
If I could just hold you, for one last time
Maybe you'd forgive me, maybe you'd climb

So here in the twilight, I'm a man in a fight
With shadows of memories that haunt me each night
Maybe one day, you'll look back and see
The cowboy I was, and the man I could have been

I wish I could turn back the hands of the clock
Make up for the years that I lost like a rock

If I could just hold you, for one last time
Maybe you'd forgive me, maybe you'd climb