# I PROMISED I WOULD BRING YOU HOME [Intro] Your mother asked me one thing Before I left that place Bring my boy back home to me And look me in the face [Verse 1] She stood in the doorway with her hands held tight Her eyes had been crying for most of the night She gave me a picture from a summer long ago Said, he hates being cold, make sure he has his coat I told her we'd watch out, we'd stay side by side I said it with the confidence of a man who had tried To believe that a promise could keep danger away Like the words in my mouth could control what the day Had waiting for us when the morning came hard When the world broke apart and we scattered in the dark I reached for his hand, I called out his name But the smoke swallowed everything except the shame [Pre Chorus] I made her a promise I meant every word Now I live with the silence And the things I have heard [Chorus] I PROMISED I WOULD BRING YOU HOME I SWORE YOU WOULDN'T FACE IT ALONE I SAID WE'D WALK BACK THROUGH THAT DOOR LIKE ALL THE TIMES WE TALKED BEFORE I WOULD TRADE EVERY MEDAL, EVERY PRAISE FOR ONE MORE MINUTE OF THOSE ORDINARY DAYS But I came back carrying the words I can't outrun I promised I'd bring you home And I brought home your son in my memories alone [Verse 2] I drove to her house with my hands on the wheel Practiced every sentence, but none of them felt real The porch light was burning, the curtains were drawn I could hear the old clock as I walked up the lawn She opened the door and she looked past my face Searching the road for the boy who'd been away I told her he loved her, told her he was brave Then the strength in my voice gave way She didn't ask me for a reason or a speech She held on to my jacket like she couldn't reach The world outside kept going, the cars passed by And a mother held a memory while I tried not to cry [Chorus] I PROMISED I WOULD BRING YOU HOME I SWORE YOU WOULDN'T FACE IT ALONE I SAID WE'D WALK BACK THROUGH THAT DOOR LIKE ALL THE TIMES WE TALKED BEFORE I WOULD TRADE EVERY MEDAL, EVERY PRAISE FOR ONE MORE MINUTE OF THOSE ORDINARY DAYS But I came back carrying the words I can't outrun I promised I'd bring you home And I brought home your son in my memories alone [Bridge] I cannot undo that terrible day I cannot find words that can take grief away But I can keep showing up, year after year I can speak his name so the world keeps him here I can help with the bills, fix the fence by the road I can carry a little of this unbearable load And when his mother tells stories, I'll sit and listen Because love is still here, even when someone is missing [Breakdown] LEAD: WHAT DO WE CARRY? CHANT: THEIR NAMES! LEAD: WHAT DO WE OWE THEM? CHANT: THE TRUTH! LEAD: WHAT DO WE PROMISE? CHANT: WE REMEMBER! LEAD: WHO DO WE STAND WITH? CHANT: THE FAMILIES TOO! [Final Chorus] I PROMISED I WOULD BRING YOU HOME And I still hear those words when I'm alone I couldn't bring you through that door But I won't leave your mother to carry grief alone I'll tell your stories, I'll stand by your name I'll never turn your life into a number in a game And though I can't change what the world has done I'll keep the promise of the man you were, my brother, my friend, my son [Outro] Your mother still keeps your picture near I still stop by and I still come here I could not bring you home that day But I will not let your name fade away
