(Low Ambient Intro – distant aircraft hum, rain on concrete) Nineteen years old Standing on a flight line Holding signal wands in my hands Thinking it was just another night (Verse 1) C-130 sitting ready on the tarmac Props already screaming in the dark I was guiding her out slow and steady Just doing the job they taught by heart Then I caught movement near the aircraft door Something wasn’t right at all Saw a side hatch standing open While she was readying to taxi out A lieutenant stepped down wearing a headset Cord running back into the plane He turned and saw the open hatch behind him Took one step and everything changed He got disoriented near the prop wash Looked right at me as he lost his way And I still see the fear inside his eyes Every single night to this day (Pre-Chorus) I froze inside But training took control (Chorus) So I stood there Signal raised against the night Emergency motions through shaking hands Trying to save a life The pilot killed the engines But time had already moved on And somehow I stayed standing there While part of me was gone (Verse 2) Emergency crews moved in around us Nobody speaking very loud They covered him beneath a weighted tarp So the jet wash wouldn’t blow it around Then another crew arrived in silence Mission still had to move ahead And I remember thinking how strange it was The world keeps turning after death The pilot looked at me before we taxied Said, “You did good tonight, son” But I didn’t feel strong Didn’t feel brave Didn’t feel anything at all (Pre-Chorus) Cause shock feels cold When you’re too young to understand it (Chorus) So I stood there Still holding signals in my hands Trying to stay professional While I forgot how to stand And later when we carried him off that plane I saw his wife and kids nearby That’s the moment something broke in me And never fully healed inside (Bridge – stripped down, almost spoken) People think trauma sounds loud But sometimes it sounds like silence Like staring at a wall at two in the morning Seeing someone’s final expression Over and over again (Slow emotional build – ambient strings/piano) And all these years later I still see those eyes Still see that split second Where fear met realization And I still stand there frozen inside it (Final Chorus – emotional lift) Yeah I stood there Nineteen years old that night Learning some moments never leave you No matter how hard you try And the world moved on around me Like it always somehow does But part of me stayed on that runway Still holding those signals up (Outro – distant aircraft fading away) And every night when it gets quiet… I still see his eyes. (fade)
