Tim, buddy, it’s your dad tonight
I’m not the best with words
But maybe I can sing what’s on my heart
And let the music carry what it hurts
Twenty-five years ago you came
And my whole world rearranged
The youngest of seven in my arms
But I was still learning every day
Your brother stood there when you arrived
So proud to see you breathe
A brand new little brother born
A gift our family received
You had the softest heart I’d seen
Even when you were small
You once asked how to make your sisters smile
You just wanted joy for them all
Oh Tim, my son, my heart, my friend
I tried but I fell short again
A father learning as he goes
Through love and loss and things unknown
If I broke pieces of your soul
God knows I never meant that role
But through the dark and through the pain
My love for you will still remain
You were five with two small dollars
Pressed into my hand that day
You said “Dad I know we're struggling
I want to help somehow, okay?”
Buddy you tore my heart apart
But in the sweetest way
Your kindness was bigger than your years
Even back in those young days
Seven years old with fire inside
You said something I won’t forget
“Dad I want to stop the hurting
Those girls shouldn't live with that”
You didn’t know the words back then
But your heart already knew
That protecting those who can’t defend
Was something God placed inside you
Oh Tim, my son, my heart, my friend
I tried but I fell short again
A father learning as he goes
Through love and loss and things unknown
If I broke pieces of your soul
God knows I never meant that role
But through the dark and through the pain
My love for you will still remain
Life hit us like a thunderstorm
No father should watch that scene
Your brother’s life ended that night
Just five feet from where you'd been
And something inside me shattered too
A silence I can’t explain
A father searching through the dark
For meaning inside the pain
They say it wasn’t all my fault
But I still carry the weight
Thirty years of being his dad
Still wondering what I could change
Tim, you told me I gave up on you
But buddy that wasn’t true
You’re stubborn like your mother is
And strong when your heart locks through
Sometimes it’s your greatest gift
Sometimes it’s your deepest scar
But even when the road gets dark
I still know who you are
Oh Tim, my son, my heart, my friend
My love for you will never end
No matter how far you may roam
My heart will always be your home
There’s something broken deep inside
But healing still can come with time
God made you more than what you see
The man you were created to be
So if these words can reach you
Now across the miles and years
Just know your dad is still right here
Through all the doubts and fears
I loved you then, I love you still
More than this life could ever show
And if one day you call my name
I'll be right here waiting, son
