[Verse 1] You went off to World War Two Before you were old enough You came home and reenlisted When the first war had been won You carried two wars home with you By the time you raised us two My sister and I were the fuel That fed the fire in you [Pre-Chorus] You were my first hero Before I knew the word You never told me not to fear You taught me not to run [Chorus] What you built in me Still bears your fingerprints You made me trust my own two hands And stand behind my name What you built in me Outlived the time we had You were the first man I believed in I still believe in you [Verse 2] In the North Atlantic cold You learned to hear through black That knowledge helped the Apollo crews Make the long way there and back Your work put footprints on the moon Where no one stood before The Shuttle waited in your hands You should have built so much more [Pre-Chorus] You were my first hero Before I knew the word You never told me not to fear You taught me not to run [Chorus] What you built in me Still bears your fingerprints You made me trust my own two hands And stand behind my name What you built in me Outlived the time we had You were the first man I believed in I still believe in you [Verse 3] You put the roar of racing Deep beneath my skin At my first race you stood beside me Close enough to hear me breathe Now every time I walk a track When engines shake the ground I still turn to find you there And lose you once again [Bridge] At dawn, the word “is” became “was” On your forty-eighth birthday You’d be more than a hundred now I wonder what you’d say Forty-eight was all you got With so much left in you I’ve lived more years without you now Than I ever had with you [Final Chorus] What you built in me Still bears your fingerprints You made me trust my own two hands And stand behind my name What you built in me Outlived the time we had You were the first man I believed in I still believe in you [Outro] What you built in me Is mine to carry on But carrying you with me Is not the same as having you beside me I miss you, Dad [End] Lyrics © 2026 Paul Pfanner.
