Lyrics

(Verse 1)
Daddy broke the Texas ground,
With calloused hands, no finer found.
Taught me straight, taught me plain,
A man’s word’s worth more than grain.

(Verse 2)
Neighbors rode through storm and fight,
Lanterns burnin’ late at night.
Never walked this land alone,
Red dirt felt like sacred stone.

(Verse 3)
One spring morn, he wandered near,
Little black pup with eyes so clear.
Followed me through field and fire,
Made the years roll slow, but higher.

(Chorus – soft, lingering)
I sip this whiskey, watchin’ sky,
Cotton clouds and time roll by.
Something’s missin’, can’t be named,
But the porch feels cold, it ain’t the same.

(Verse 4)
He woke me at the rooster’s call,
Ran the fence, he chased it all.
Like a son I raised him true,
Every day the bond just grew.

(Bridge)
Now the night falls heavy deep,
Stars don’t talk, the shadows creep.
Friends stand quiet, hats pulled low,
They all see the hurt I know.

(Final Verse – reveal)
My hands are stained with dirt today,
Shovels know what words can’t say.
Beneath the cottonwood he lays,
Black fur gone, but the scent still stays.

(Outro – spoken, slow like Cash)
The earth holds him…
and it holds my sorrow too.