[Intro] [Verse] He’s a man like an ocean—deep and mysterious Dangerous to underestimate, he’s quiet and he’s serious You only see the side of him he lets the world behold While he’s moving Jersey earth in the freezing winter cold From the heat of July to the Egg Harbor frost Running heavy machines, no matter the cost It’s a long, hard road, and it takes a heavy toll But the open air of nature is what feeds his weary soul. [Chorus] Oh, he’s got a fiercely independent spirit, and the heart of an angel Living through a life that’s a tangle He’s been through the fire, he’s been through the rain Overcoming everything meant to cause him pain If you’re lucky enough to meet him, don't you let him go 'Cause Robert’s got a soul that the world needs to know. [Verse] He found the woman of his dreams, a love so deep and wide Until the cancer came and took her with the tide Then he lost his son, and his heart was nearly crushed In the middle of the grieving, the world went quiet and hushed I was there to be a friend, through the hit-or-miss years Sending words of comfort through the silence and the tears Helping him through the valley, holding back the dark Trying to help my brother find a brand new spark. [Bridge] Then one day he says, "I know you... but I don't know from where." I said, "We went to school together, man" I knew it! he said, with a question in his voice… With a smile I said, "I'm that geeky science guy you used to pick on way back then" He said, "Son-of-a-bitch! I’m sorry, man... life was chaos, I never knew the real you" I said, "That was forty years ago, life moves along" It’s the fire we walk through that makes us strong [Guitar Solo] [Chorus] Oh, he’s got a fiercely independent spirit, and the heart of an angel Living through a life that’s a tangle He’s been through the fire, he’s been through the rain Overcoming everything meant to cause him pain If you’re lucky enough to meet him, don't you let him go 'Cause Robert’s got a soul that the world needs to know. [Outro] So be patient and kind, 'cause you don't know the ache Behind the lashing out and the hearts that might break True friends are forged in the heat of the flame Forty years later, it’s a different game.
