I got sent home from school one day With a shiner on my eye Fightin' was against the rules and it didn't matter why When Dad got home I told that story just like I'd rehearsed Then stood there on those tremblin' knees And waited for the worst He said, "Let me tell you a secret about a father's love A secret that my daddy said was just between us" He said, "Daddies don't just love their children Every now and then, It's a love without end, amen It's a love without end, amen" When I became a father in the spring of '81 There was no doubt that stubborn boy Was just like my father's son And when I thought my patience Had been tested to the end I took my daddy's secret and passed it on to him I said, "Let me tell you a secret about a father's love A secret that my daddy said was just between us" I said, "Daddies don't just love their children Every now and then It's a love without end, amen It's a love without end, amen" Last night I dreamed I died and stood outside those pearly gates When suddenly I realized there must be some mistake If they know half the things I've done They'll never let me in Then somewhere from the other side I heard those words again They said, "Let me tell you a secret about a father's love A secret that my daddy said was just between us You see, daddies don't just love their children Every now and then It's a love without end, amen It's a love without end, amen"