[Verse 1] Three a.m., and the hallway floor is cold, Dreamed you left me, and I couldn't break the mold. I pushed the old screen door, stepped out in the dark, Where you rocked upon the porch swing, watching fireflies spark. You pulled me on your lap, flannel on my cheek, Said, "Little man, you're safe, your old man's not weak." [Chorus] [Powerful Motown Choir Harmonies] Oh, the highway gets so long in the pouring rain, Every generation carries all the same old pain. You taught me how to stand, you taught me how to fall, My anchor in the storm, yeah, you were my all. [Verse 2] [Acoustic Country Strum] Seventeen, slamming doors, tension thick as smoke, Chasing dreams out west before the promise broke. Words like shrapnel flying, driving out at dawn, Leaving you behind on the porch out on the lawn. Just a slow wave from your wrist, fading in the mist, Carrying a ghost that I couldn't quite resist. [Chorus] [Full Choir & Steel Guitar] Oh, the highway gets so long in the pouring rain, Every generation carries all the same old pain. You taught me how to stand, you taught me how to fall, My anchor in the storm, yeah, you were my all. [Bridge] [Stripped Back Piano and Crying Fiddle] The years flew by, phone calls got too brief, Then that Tuesday morning brought the final grief. They said you slipped away in the quiet of the dawn, And I'm standing on the porch realizing you are gone. [Verse 3] [Slow Building Beat] Thirty-two now, staring at a blank guitar, Trying to trace the light of a fallen star. Every single melody leads back to that porch-swing dark, Where you healed a little kid with a breaking heart. [Outro] [Acoustic fade out, soulful vocal runs] You ain't going nowhere... Still rooted in the ground. Can you hear the music, Dad? I won't let your memory down.
