I remember all those sleepless nights The fragile weight inside my arms The world was way too big outside So I stood between you and the storm I traded dreams for your smile Swallowed fear and hid the pain I taught you how to walk alone But never how to walk away Now I speak and the wind replies I call your name, the echo stays It's not anger, it's not a fight It's a cold I can't explain And it hurts When love comes back in silence When a voice turns into space When a hug becomes absence And it hurts To be memory, not the present To be past right in your face I'm your father, Still I am Even when you don't see me I never asked for anything Never counted what I gave I just wanted to remain A safe place in your days I stood beside you when you never knew Picked you up when you fell apart Now I stand outside your door Not sure if I still have a part I don't recognize that distant look Those careful words you choose to say I didn't change who I am I just kept loving you this way And it hurts When affection turns to numbers When love is pushed aside When the heart has a price If I failed, I tried too hard If I broke, I put you first Fathers don't learn from pages They learn from time and hurt I look at you, Tom, in silence And see how far you've gone My heart may be worn and tired But it was always yours And it hurts When a son becomes winter And a father learns to stand Swallowing his tears And it hurts But I still keep loving you From the outside looking in Even when I'm not called If one day the world gets heavy And your pride is tired too There will be an old heart open Waiting quietly For you