[INTRO] [INSTRUMENTS: SOFT ACOUSTIC GUITAR PICKING, WARM STEEL GUITAR SWELLS, DEEP SUBTLE KICK DRUM, LIGHT SHAKER PERCUSSION, SLOW 72 BPM COUNTRY-RAP GROOVE - 15 BARS] [VOCALS: RASPY COUNTRY VOCALS, SUNG LOW AND REFLECTIVE] There's a sunrise stretching over old fence lines, Morning dew hanging heavy in the pines, I still bow my head before I start my day, Thank the Lord above for every breath He gave. Got dirt on my boots and a prayer in my chest, Still learning every day how to carry what's left. [VERSE 1] [INSTRUMENTS: ADD SOFT 808 BASS UNDER ACOUSTIC GUITAR, BRUSHED SNARE, FAINT FIDDLE LAYERS] [VOCALS: RAPPED WITH RASPY COUNTRY TONE, SLOW FLOW] I was raised where the backroads twist through fields, Where a handshake meant more than a signed-up deal, Daddy said, "Son, hold tight to the names you know, 'Cause money comes and money goes." Mama kept a Bible by the kitchen light, Said grace before supper every single night, And my friends were brothers when the world got cold, Those roots run deep when your soul gets old. Now I look around and some chairs sit empty, Still hear old laughs riding through the memory, Funny how time keeps rolling that wheel, But some scars stay fresh no matter how they heal. [CHORUS] [INSTRUMENTS: FULLER DRUMS, EMOTIONAL STEEL GUITAR, WIDE HARMONIES] [VOCALS: SUNG, RASPY AND EMOTIONAL] So here's to God above and the ones down here, To the hands that held us through joy and tears, To family blood and friends by choice, To the memories still speaking with a quiet voice. Even when heaven calls somebody home, Love leaves footprints in the dirt and stone, Yeah they're gone but they never really leave, Their legacy keeps breathing through you and me. [VERSE 2] [INSTRUMENTS: PULL BACK DRUMS SLIGHTLY, ACOUSTIC GUITAR AND FIDDLE LEAD] [VOCALS: RAPPED WITH PAUSES AND EMOTION] I remember old Jake with the dust on his jeans, Had a laugh that could shake every branch in the trees, Swore we'd all stay young, thought we'd outrun time, Now his picture's hanging beside that county line. And Grandpa's old truck still sits by the barn, Rust on the tailgate but I still feel his arms, Still hear him saying, "Boy stand up straight, Life gets heavy but faith carries weight." Sometimes I talk to the stars late at night, Don't know where they land but I send them sky-high, And I pray somehow they can hear these words, Through the wind and the pines and the singing birds. [BRIDGE] [INSTRUMENTS: DRUMS DROP OUT, SOLO PIANO WITH SOFT GUITAR AND AMBIENT PAD] [VOCALS: SUNG SOFTLY, GRAVELLY AND HEARTFELT] We don't own tomorrow, We just borrow today, So hold the ones beside you, Don't let love slip away. And if the road gets lonely, When tears fall like rain, The Lord can turn broken pieces Into purpose through pain. [INSTRUMENTAL - STEEL GUITARS AND COUNTRY RAP BEAT - 15 BARS] [FINAL CHORUS] [INSTRUMENTS: FULL BAND SWELLS, STRONGER KICK, EMOTIONAL FIDDLE COUNTERMELODY, WIDE VOCAL HARMONIES] [VOCALS: SUNG WITH POWER, RASPY COUNTRY EDGE] So here's to God above and the ones down here, To the hands that held us through joy and tears, To family blood and friends by choice, To the memories still speaking with a quiet voice. Even when heaven calls somebody home, Love leaves footprints in the dirt and stone, Yeah they're gone but they never really leave, Their legacy keeps breathing through you and me. [OUTRO] [INSTRUMENTS: STRIP BACK TO ACOUSTIC GUITAR, FAINT STEEL GUITAR FADES OUT] [VOCALS: HALF SUNG, HALF SPOKEN WITH RASPY COUNTRY TONE] We carry their stories, We carry their names, And every prayer whispered Keeps alive that flame. So raise your eyes upward, Hold your people close, Thank God for the time we get... And love 'em while you still can most. [FADE OUT BEAT SLOWLY]
