[Verse 1] Let me go Mom To play war He tugged at her sleeve in the hall Me and the boys will just pretend It’s not real It’s not real at all Please Mom I beg you Let me go Or they’ll point and call me afraid You know I’m brave I only wish That I could be a little older today [Chorus] Let me go Mom I’m not scared It’s just a game out in the yard Sticks for rifles Laughter loud Nothing sharp can hit my heart You kissed his hair Said Good luck Son (come back when the streetlights glow) You whispered Better to play hide-and-seek But still you smiled and let him go [Verse 2] He ran ahead to the dusty swings Climbed the mound Claimed the hill Paper badges Cardboard shields Playing hero Chasing thrill Years flew fast like startled birds Circumstance changed the frame Plastic guns and wooden swords Left behind Just kids’ old games [Bridge] Now he walks out in heavy boots Face grown hard in the window glass Same small street Same tired gate But the boy is gone The years have passed You see his back and taste that day Every word you can’t redraw Let me go Mom I’m not scared Echoes down the corridor [Chorus] Let me go Mom I’m not scared It’s just a game I’ll be alright But this field is far from home And there’s no playground in sight You close your eyes You hear his laugh From summers you still hold You’d trade the world for hide-and-seek For one more chance to say don’t go [Outro] You stand alone by the open door Whisper Come home My little boy The toys lie still in a dusty box Silent witnesses to joy
