Lyrics

[Intro – Child voices]
When I grow up, I wanna be a firefighter.
When I grow up, I wanna be a teacher.
When I grow up... I wanna be like my dad.


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[Verse 1]
Yeah... when I grow up, I wanna be like him
Not the man that raised me – nah, not him
I'm talkin’ 'bout the one with quiet strength
Blue eyes, brown hair, and a backbone that never bends
Fifty-four years and still goin’ strong
Every scar on his hands tells me where I belong
He walks like he’s tired, but he never complains
Carries the weight of a world that I can't explain

He don’t say much, but when he does, it sticks
A look from him hits harder than a thousand hits
He’s the kind of man I dream to become
Through the noise and the pain, he never runs


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[Hook – Slow, repeating structure]
When I grow up, I wanna stand tall like you
Hold the line when the storms break through
When I grow up, I wanna lead with heart
Even when the whole damn world falls apart
When I grow up, I wanna keep that flame
Work with fire, but never play the game
When I grow up...
I just wanna be like you, Dad


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[Verse 2]
I’ve seen you bleed in silence, still you rise
You gave no speeches, but you opened my eyes
You don’t even know what you mean to me
But your presence alone keeps setting me free

Some nights I fall asleep just picturing your face
The calm in your eyes, the strength, the grace
I know you’re not perfect, but damn, you’re real
And I’d trade every fake thing just to feel what you feel

I don’t need the fame, don’t care for the cheers
I just wanna build something that'll last for years
Wanna hold it down like you’ve always done
Be the shelter for someone when there’s nowhere to run


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[Hook – Repeats, emotional crescendo]
When I grow up, I wanna stand tall like you
Hold the line when the storms break through
When I grow up, I wanna lead with heart
Even when the whole damn world falls apart
When I grow up, I wanna keep that flame
Work with fire, but never play the game
When I grow up...
I just wanna be like you, Dad

[Erweitertes Outro – Spoken, whispered tone]

You don’t even know...
But every time you show up,
You teach me how to stay.
One day,
I’ll carry what you carried.
And I won’t drop it.

I won’t chase lights,
won’t fake a crown.
I just wanna keep
what you built from fallin’ down.
You started something
and I’ll see it through—
Not for the glory,
but ‘cause I believe in you.