Backroad Echoes

Songtext

THE ROAD BACK Verse 1 Eleven forty, pulled off thirty-five, Model homes lined up on either side. Saw two brothers’ names upon a sign That only ever stood there in my mind. Our kids could work there, Dad could ride along, Tell us where we’d laid a footing wrong. Took a picture through the windshield glass— Funny what a photograph can’t catch. Chorus On the road back, every turn’s a memory, Somebody I lost, somebody needing me. I can spend all day on what we should’ve had, Then hear an old go-kart story from my dad. There’s a burger getting cold, a call to make, And a promise I’ve still got time to keep. I don’t know how to mend all that we had— But there’s somebody waiting on the road back. Verse 2 Passed the Chevy lot and thought of Slim, Wished I had one more afternoon with him. Passed the place I spun that car around, Swore I’d change before I settled down. Cindy’s got a version of that night; I ought to let her tell it sometime. My phone rang, a client on the line— For twenty minutes, left the past behind. Chorus On the road back, every turn’s a memory, Somebody I lost, somebody needing me. I can spend all day on what we should’ve had, Then hear an old go-kart story from my dad. There’s a burger getting cold, a call to make, And a promise I’ve still got time to keep. I don’t know how to mend all that we had— But there’s somebody waiting on the road back. Verse 3 No mustard, no ketchup, Mom likes mayo, Diet Coke without ice, that’s how it goes. Keep the little receipt where I can see, Bring their lunch home, save the mail till three. Later, Dad beside me in the heat, Straightening his dollars on his knee. Then that worn-out blower came alive— We both smiled and settled in to ride. Bridge He told me ’bout that Christmas years ago, Two boys in a go-kart, nowhere slow. I remembered rolling in the yard; He remembered working for it hard. We laughed until I missed what I’d been mad about, Rolled another mile toward the edge of town. Final Chorus On the road back, every turn’s a memory, Somebody I lost, somebody needing me. I still wish we’d built what we had planned, But tonight there’s a white cup in Dad’s hands. He says he’s got a way to stop the leak; I set my phone down and let him speak. Tomorrow I can chase what might have been— Tonight I’ve got some time to spend with him. Outro A little plumber’s putty, a cup turned toward the light, Dad explaining how he’ll get it right. The houses in that picture fade to black. Pull a chair up. There’s your road back.