[Verse 1] Grease on my knuckles, coffee on my breath Counting every mile like I’m racing death Bought a house with a handshake and a prayer Thought that was proof that the world was fair Down in the basement, hoodie pulled tight My boy stared through a bowl like it was the night I called it lazy, I called it weak Didn’t hear the mercy he was trying to speak [Pre-Chorus] He said, “Dad, I’m tired,” real low and slow I heard excuses, not a warning bell I thought I was teaching him how to be a man I was just teaching him how to fail [Chorus] You were drowning and I yelled, “Swim” You were breaking and I called it sin Measured your life by a world that’s gone And I beat you with the ruler of 1991 If I’d known what “tired” really meant If I’d seen the war you were fighting in You’d still be here, you’d still be alive But I chose pride over a son of mine [Verse 2] You drove all night for a dollar and change While robots decided if you were worth a wage Four hundred doors all slammed in your face I just told you to “pick up the pace” You paid the interest, never the debt I called it failure, you called it breath When your meds ran out, so did the light And I still said, “Boy, you’re not trying hard enough tonight” [Pre-Chorus] You leaned on my shoulder like a child again Said you’d stop being a weight on my back I thought it meant you’d finally fight I didn’t know you meant goodbye [Chorus] You were drowning and I yelled, “Swim” You were breaking and I called it sin Measured your life by a world that’s gone And I beat you with the ruler of 1991 If I’d known what “tired” really meant If I’d seen the war you were fighting in You’d still be here, you’d still be alive But I chose pride over a son of mine [Bridge] Now your bed is made and the room is clean Like you never fought a losing dream Your phone still glows with all those tries Every “we regret” is a quiet lie They say it wasn’t my fault, they say it’s disease But math don’t lie when you finally see A house was two years, now it’s twenty more And I crushed you for not reaching a locked door [Breakdown] You weren’t weak You weren’t slow You were running out of hope [Final Chorus] You were drowning and I yelled, “Swim” God forgive me for what I did I traded love for a lesson learned Now I’m the one with the bridge to burn I’d give the house, I’d give the truck I’d give every “man up” I ever spoke Just to see you on that couch again Being “lazy” and still breathing, my son [Outro] So if someone says they’re tired tonight Listen like their life depends on it Because sometimes “I’m tired” Means “I’m running out of reasons to live.” And silence is the loudest thing there is.
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