I was standin’ on the edge of that county-line bridge… Wonderin’ where I’d go from here… Midnight hangin’ from a harvest moon Pickup parked by the river below Heart full of whiskey, head full of ghosts Nowhere left I wanted to go Wind blew hard through the guardrail wires Like it knew how tired I’d become Then I heard somebody laughin’ Like he hadn’t lost a thing in life I turned and saw a man grinnin’ Leanin’ easy on the rail Both sleeves hung empty at his shoulders Still lookin’ happier than hell He said, A good scratch’ll remind you you’re alive Give you one more reason to survive Every scar means you made it through Every mark leaves a little proof Don’t let the dark steal your light Don’t give up tomorrow for tonight Life gets hard—that’s just life And sometimes a good scratch feels worthwhile I sat down and he told his story West Texas highway, summer rain Truck rolled twice across the shoulder Woke up different from that day Said, “You can spend your years gettin’ bitter Or learn to laugh at what you’ve lost Truth is, son, the worst day livin’ Still beats the best day in a box.” He looked down at those empty sleeves Then laughed like he’d heard a joke “Ain’t had an itch I could scratch in years— Still got plenty left to feel.” He said, A good scratch’ll remind you you’re alive Give you one more reason to survive Every scar means you made it through Every mark leaves a little proof Don’t let the dark steal your light Don’t give up tomorrow for tonight Life gets hard—that’s just life And sometimes a good scratch feels worthwhile He said, Pain ain’t proof that you’ve been beaten Pain’s proof you’re still here Then he laughed And Lord, I swear It sounded louder than my fear I looked down at that river Then back at him and smiled For the first time in a long damn time I didn’t hate my life I climbed back in that pickup Where I sleep most every night Used to have a place to call home Used to have someone by my side Somewhere down the road I lost it Piece by piece, year by year Now it’s just me and this old truck And nobody knows I’m here Now every time life cuts too deep And I feel that old darkness rise I hear that voice out in the distance And I smile despite myself A good scratch’ll remind you you’re alive Give you one more reason to survive Every scar means you made it through Every mark leaves a little proof Don’t let the dark steal your light Don’t give up tomorrow for tonight Life gets hard—that’s just life And sometimes a good scratch feels worthwhile That bridge is still there… River still runs… And so do I… Ain’t every scar a thing to hide Some just prove you’re still alive…
