Boots on the Ground

[Verse 1][Male voice] I’ve got a long way to go It takes time to heal walking again But this quiet in my chest Feels like a room someone left Not the scars along my skin Though they’ve been bad I let them in It’s the ghosts behind my eyes Every name I never write [Pre-Chorus][Male voice] Saving lives was so much harder Than all the stories ever tell Holding hands that slipped away Still clinging to the smell [Chorus][Female Voice] “You really made a difference You should hold your head up high Every time your boots hit the ground You kept innocent hearts from dying” “I’m the proof you can’t deny” don't just feel the empty places Where you couldn’t turn the tide [Verse 2][Male voice] Death and fire through the years Smoke that soaked into my gear Sirens Sand And shattered glass All the nights that never passed Comforting the ones who knew They were fading while I grew Lines I practiced Lines I prayed None of them could make them stay [Chorus][Female Voice] “You really made a difference You should hold your head up high Every time your boots hit the ground You kept innocent hearts from dying” “I’m standing here you're the reason i'm alive” [Male Voice] But I just hear the quiet questions Of the ones I left behind [Bridge][Male Voice] What if being “whole” again Means learning to be cracked Letting every fault line Tell me where I’ve been attacked If I can’t be who I was Maybe I can be Someone who believes you When you say you’re proud of me (oh) [Chorus][Male Voice] You say “You really made a difference You should hold your head up high Every time your boots hit the ground You kept innocent hearts from dying” So I breathe in what you’re saying Let it echo through the din If you’re the perfect example Maybe I can let it in [Outro] I’ve got a long way to go It takes time to heal I know But your hand around my own Feels like a way back home