Lyrics

Title: “The Walk My Grandaddy Walked”
(Lyrics – 2787 characters)

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[Verse 1 – Solo, soft and low]
In the foothills where the poppies bow,
And the mist still holds the night,
There rose a sound like judgment day,
And a flash that should’ve claimed his life.
But the silence after sang so loud—
It stitched a name into his breath.
A mine that bounced, then bowed back down,
And spared him from a soldier’s death.

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[Chorus – Full harmony, slow reverence]
He walks the walk my Grandaddy walked,
With the hush of holy ground.
Each step a psalm, each mile a prayer,
Where mercy still resounds.
No need for words, no need for shout,
Just the boots that never mocked—
And the hush that falls on every soul
When they see that walk he walked.

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[Verse 2 – Soft instrumentation, spoken-sung]
He never spoke the why of it,
Just said “God must’ve had a whim.”
And then he’d bend to touch the dirt,
Like the earth remembered him.
Folks would say the air grew still
Wherever he might tread—
And wrongdoers got right quiet
Like they met the walking dead.

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[Bridge – Minor key, whispered with harmony]
A man can’t choose his miracle,
Nor beg for fate to bend—
But if you’re spared by fire and steel,
You walk with different men.
And you don’t complain of aching bones,
Or curse the heavy rain—
You just give thanks the mine went quiet,
And walk like you’ve been named.

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[Chorus – Repeat, deeper harmony]
He walks the walk my Grandaddy walked,
With the hush of holy ground.
Each step a psalm, each mile a prayer,
Where mercy still resounds.
No need for words, no need for shout,
Just the boots that never mocked—
And the hush that falls on every soul
When they see that walk he walked.

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[Verse 3 – Solo, a capella until end of verse]
I brought home some fool with soft hands,
And too much cologne to boot.
My Grandaddy gave him just one look,
And that boy forgot his roots.
Didn’t raise his voice or say a thing,
Didn’t tell the boy to leave—
But something in that walk said,
“You best not plant no seed.”

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[Verse 4 – Gentle music returns]
Now I trace the lines where he once stepped,
Across the county lines,
Where even dogs lay down their bark,
And the wind won’t cross in time.
His boots still by the back porch rail,
And his hat still holds its shape—
And I still feel that mine that didn’t kill
Each time I see his gate.

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[Final Chorus – Swelling harmony, then trailing soft]
He walks the walk my Grandaddy walked,
Through fog, through fire, through frost.
Each footfall speaks of battles spared,
Of counting gain from loss.
He never preached, he never begged,
But even ghosts have stopped and knocked—
Just to pay respects and turn away
From the walk that Grandaddy walked.

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[Outro – Single voice, fading]
So when you hear the hush take hold,
And feel the earth grow still…
That’s the walk.
That’s the walk.
And he’s walkin’ it still.