V.1

One of the most/beautiful hearts/this world has ever seen/but
always so close/to fallin apart/and tearing at the seams/cuz he
holds tight to hope/talkin bout ours/he gave up all his dreams/so
that we might hold/firm to our goals/my father’s name is gene...

memories of my father start with fishin in a lake
passin down our heritage and passin down our faith
passin on his face so that i can take his place
when we lay his bones to rest and he escapes into God’s grace

some other memories hurt because my parents got divorced
they would pass me back and forth and he would take me to the court
where we would play tennis it was like metaphor
these are things i’ve thought but never really said before

I love you dad i really should have said it more
put that to the side cuz this right here’s a celebration
from your gift from God
from your first born son
from your son Nathan
anthony whitsell

Chorus

a father filled with love/but wrestling with demons
passed both on to us/the torment and the dreaming
i wish that we’d been closer/in time and in space
at least as i get older my fam’ly feels your embrace

V.2

i remember riding bikes and playing in the park
i remember parents’ fights and how it hurt my heart
i remember how it smells riding in your car
i remember everything it made us who we are

and here we stand never to be the same
and in your hands you possess healing and some pain
i love you dad, the laughter and the strain
the sunshine and the rain that gave me warmth and washed the stains

looking at your smile i see my own face that’s reflected
and as your child i promise to always respect it
even when we don’t see eye to eye on life learned lesson
it guess that thats the essence of what honor you father’s stressin

blessed are the humble, blessed are the meek
and i saw our Father’s strength most when you were weak
behind this song is how i feel can’t explain it with my speach
but ill know that you feel it too by the tears that kiss your cheek