1. |
So Once Was I
03:19
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Verse
I am just a simple man
I’ve lived a thousand lives
Tried to touch the heavens
But I flew too high
Crashed into the ocean
Until I couldn’t see a light
Washed up on an empty beach
And stayed until I dried
Chorus
Who you are now
So once was I
It’s like looking in the mirror
When I see you walking by
I’ve weathered a storm or two
And the ones raging in your eyes
Who you are now
So once was l
Verse
A pocket full of money
No sense in my head
A happy home to homelessness
Dying is no way to live
Through fair winds and sailing seas
I've learned to hold fast
One things is for certain
Storms, they never last
Chorus
Who you are now
So once was I
It’s like looking in the mirror
When you’re walking by
I’ve weathered a storm or two
And the ones raging in your eyes
Who you are now
So once was l
Bridge
I've given away most of my life
and I can't get it back
But I'm still here to tell the tale
and I'm alright with that
Chorus
Who you are now
So once was I
It’s like looking in the mirror
When you’re walking by
I’ve weathered a storm or two
And the ones raging in your eyes
Who you are now
So once was l
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2. |
Real Man
03:30
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Verse
Never let em see you cry,
Son, never show those tears,
Always hide your weakness, boy,
A real man has no fear.
I heard it all, I took it in,
I bought that pack of lies,
Couldn't let those salty tears,
Roll out of my eyes.
Chorus
That's what it takes, that's what it takes to be a real man.
Can't be afraid or ever make mistakes
When you're a real man.
Verse
That overseas reality
Got right in my face,
Hit me like an IED,
And put me in my place.
The liquor and the drugs told me,
That I should take my life,
But I held onto the hope I saw,
There in my babies eyes.
Chorus
That's what it takes, that's what it takes to be a real man
You can't be afraid to change your ways
When you're a real man.
Verse
My sons are gonna come to know -
a different side of me,
Who's not afraid to say I've been thrown off.
My daughter needs to learn from me,
That a tender-heart man,
Is better than a man of solid rock.
Chorus
That's what it takes, that's what it takes to be a real man.
Don't be ashamed, you're gonna make mistakes when you're a real man
Don't worry if they see you cry,
Let em see those tears,
Pride is only weakness, yall,
But a real man faces fear.
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3. |
The Easy Way
03:23
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Verse
I could jump in the car right now, drive to a bar down town, order me a Jack, knock a few back & let that ol’ rebel out
Ya know it wouldn’t be hard to find, a smoke or a little white line, go right back to where I was at and say it didn’t work this time
Chorus
But that’s the easy way,
full of guilt and shame,
Where all the hurtin’s blamed
on everybody else
An old comfort turns to pain & drives
the world away
Though I want to change,
I can’t really help myself
That’s the hardest thing about the easy way
Verse
But easy don’t get you far,
just leaves a lot of unhealed scars,
So unlike old me, i’ll just be
hanging with my old guitar
Sittin’ sober as a judge, finding
new things to love
That help my health, that keep
my wealth, that praise the good Lord above
Chorus
& Maybe that’s the easy way,
Full of good and change,
Sometimes it feels strange with
all the cards that I’ve been dealt
I’ve got heavy chains and
though it sounds insane
It’s hard to make a change cause
I ain’t ever helped myself
And that’s the hardest thing about the easy way
Bridge
There’s two kinds of easy, two kinds of hard
One can bring you down and one can mend you heart
Chorus
Yeah the easy way
Is waking up each day, without the guilt and shame and learning how to love myself
Breaking off them chains
and fixing my last name
It’s a funny thing that only I can help myself
That’s the hardest thing,
yeah I did that farthest thing from the easy way
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Operation Song Nashville, Tennessee
Operation Song is a 501(c)(3) non-profit whose mission is to empower veterans, active duty military, and their family
members to tell their stories through the process of songwriting. Music found on this page are the direct result of the military community entrusting us with their stories.
www.operationsong.org
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