Six yrs old in a cotton dress Standing in the old dirt lane He’d roll in as a summer's dream Then roll away again Guitar case and highway dust Big lights in his smile He said, “Next time I’m coming home I’ll stay a little while.” Mama said don’t promise things You don’t mean to keep But I hung onto every word He whispered to me Chorus Did you mean it then? When you said you’d come back home? I counted down those setting suns and waited by the phone I thought you were my hero And I was your whole world Did you really mean it? Was I your little girl? Verse 2 He was chasing songs in roadside bars And that bottle took his pride Mama said, “If you love those kids You'll leave that life outside.” So he loved us from a distance Like a shadow by the door He kept his promise in his pocket Hoping he’d be back once more Bridge He carried time inside his coat I carried years of hurt We were both just learning love Through the worst of what we were Final Chorus Did you mean it then? When you said you’d come back home? I counted down those setting suns and waited by the phone I thought you were my hero And I was your whole world Did you really mean it? Was I your little girl? Outro Now I know you meant it Even when you walked away Love don’t always look like staying Sometimes it’s letting them be safe Now every time is a memory Every second grace Time didn’t steal my father It just took the long way © 2026 Rushell MacDonald. All rights reserved
