He was thinking back when he was a kid His folks were divorced His old man high on something Came knocking at the His mama wouldn't talk to him She said boy dontcha let him
She was cussing and pacing and wasting her life On that linoleum floor He took him back to his old apartment Turned off the TV His beautiful broken hero on the couch Passed out asleep And put 'em to bed With tears in his eyes He said dad I love you, Goodbye
He headed out into the night Seventeen years old Fired up that rusty old pickup Turned his collar to the cold And he headed back to mama's place Ready for his big escape And he up the stairs and left a note In the cover's fold
It said mom I wish I could wave a wand And make you smile again Bring back the man who stole your heart 'fore the demons got him If I stay here any Something sacreds gonna die He said mom I love you, Goodbye
Took a lot of wrong turns on the road Finding his life By the grace of God he ended up With a little and a wife And the phone call came from his sister It was that old familiar pain His mother was at the doorstep Of heaven's pure white light
At the end of the service His father came up to him Clear eyed and sober now he said Boy Jesus took my sins And I pray someday maybe forgive me too With tears in his eyes He said son I love you, Goodbye
His plane touched down in Texas He pulled out his phone Dialed in the number, got the machine Of his old man's home said dad we got an extra room And grandson has your eyes Couldn't say anything else Cause he started to cry And he choked out dad I love you, Goodbye