[Intro - spoken, low, gravelly, desperate] They say once the streets get you, they don’t let go I said not my son, not while I’m still breathing I lost him to the block one night at a time I swore I’d get him back the same way [Verse 1] Watched him change right in front of my eyes Traded his laughter for a hardened disguise Chicago winters got nothing on that cold The kind that gets inside a young man’s soul He started coming home with different eyes Started running with a different kind of guys I begged, I prayed, I stood outside his door But the streets had a pull I couldn’t fight no more [Pre-Chorus] Every siren was a knife straight through my chest Every night he’s out there, I don’t get no rest I lost him to the corner, to the fear, to the fame But a father don’t stop just ’cause it gets hard to stay [Chorus] I’m still his father, even when he can’t see Still his father, even when he’s running from me I chased him through the dark, through the smoke, through the pain I ain’t leaving my son out there in the rain They said let him go, said the block already won I said not today, not my only son I’m still his father, and love don’t run out I’ll drag him to the light, even kicking, even shouting [Verse 2] Showed up every corner they said he’d be Sat in silence just so he could see That somebody still cared what happened to his life That somebody still saw past the gun, the knife Took the punches, took the hate he threw at me Stayed anyway, ‘cause that’s what family means to be Poverty of spirit is when nobody stays I stayed through every one of his darkest days [Bridge - raw, half spoken half sung] There’s a night I’ll never forget, no matter how far I go He called my name at 3 AM, said “Dad, I don’t know I don’t know how to leave, I don’t know how to stay” I said “Son, just come home, I’ll show you the way” I drove through the city like the world was on fire Found him standing broken, all his walls tired I didn’t say a word, I just held him tight And that’s the night I brought my son back to the light [Final Chorus] I’m still his father, and he finally sees Still his father, and he’s finally free We walked out the dark, through the smoke, through the pain Left the corner behind, left the fear, left the chains They said the block don’t let go, said it always wins I said love goes deeper than the skin he’s in I’m still his father, and now he stands tall Proof that love can outlast it all [Outro - whispered, tender, fading] No more sirens. No more silence. Just his voice, calling me Dad again. I almost lost him. Love brought him home. Still his father. Still fighting for him. Still here.
