SEPTEMBER

[Intro He left before the morning had a name A coffee in his hand, a kiss goodbye The boy was half-awake beside the doorway Watching his father disappear outside [Verse 1] He promised they would talk when he got home There was a game they planned to watch that night A little boy believed the world was simple And fathers always made it back alright [Pre-Chorus] Then something changed beyond his understanding The television filled the room with grief His mother pulled him closer to her heartbeat But no one had a way to give relief [Chorus] Dad, I kept your picture by my bed I kept the words you left inside my head The years went by, but you were never gone You lived inside the songs I carried on [Post-Chorus] I grew up with a question in my heart How does a family learn to live apart? Dad, I wish that I could tell you now I became the man you taught me how [Verse 2] His birthday came, then came another winter The boy grew taller than his father knew He learned to tie his shoes without his help Learned how to ride a bike and follow through At school he drew a picture of his family Four people turned to three upon the page [Pre-Chorus] He heard his father's laughter in old recordings A little piece of home from long ago He couldn't bring the past back to the present But there were things his father helped him know [Chorus] Dad, I kept your picture by my bed I kept the words you left inside my head The years went by, but you were never gone You lived inside the songs I carried on [Post-Chorus] I grew up with a question in my heart How does a family learn to live apart? Dad, I wish that I could tell you now I became the man you taught me how [Bridge] I don't remember all the things we talked about But I remember how you made me feel You made the ordinary feel important You made a little boy believe in dreams So when I felt the world was getting colder I carried what you gave me through the years Not as a wound that kept me looking backward But as a reason to keep moving here [Final Chorus] Dad, I still keep your picture by my bed And I still hear the lessons in my head The years went by, but you were never gone You lived inside the man I've now become I finally found an answer to my heart We don't stop loving those who've gone apart [Outro] The boy grew up The world moved on But in his heart His father carried on