[Rap Trap Soul with harmonies] [Intro – soft guitar chords, ambient textures] (spoken softly) It’s never too late for love to find its way back. And I’m grateful you opened that door when I knocked. ⸻ [Verse 1] I was five the last time I saw your face Then life pulled us both in a different place And you weren’t there, but now I understand Life don’t always go the way we planned I used to wonder if you ever thought of me If you ever prayed I’d turn out to be More than a name on some papers lost More than a child paid in time’s cost I carried your absence like a weight in my chest ’Til twenty-eight, when I flew out West Found your door and knocked with hope You opened it — and gave me rope Not to hang, but to climb from the pain To build what we lost, even if late in the game ⸻ [Hook] My father… my friend We didn’t start, but we still won’t end Years we missed, but love still mends You showed up when the world just bends ⸻ [Chorus – sung with emotion, warm harmonies] You give me wisdom, you give me peace You remind me what real love means The kind that don’t shout, the kind that stays The kind I hope I find one day You’re the proof that love can heal That distance don’t define what’s real My father… my friend You were the start I didn’t know I’d need again ⸻ [Verse 2] I see how you love your wife with grace No battles, no pride, just a safe space You hold her like she’s the world in your hands That kind of love — I still don’t understand But I want it, Pops. I really do To give like you, to follow through I ain’t got it all figured out yet But your blueprint’s the realest I’ve met You make manhood feel like home Strong, but gentle — solid to the bone You missed some chapters, but wrote the rest And even in silence, you gave me your best ⸻ [Bridge] We lost time, but we gained truth You taught me more in these seven years than my youth I used to feel like something was stolen But now I see what’s truly golden ⸻ [Final Hook – with layered harmonies] My father… my friend We didn’t start, but we still won’t end Years we missed, but love still mends You showed up when the world just bends ⸻ [Outro – spoken, gentle fade] You didn’t raise me… but you raised me up. I needed you more than I knew. And now I carry your voice with me — every day. My father… my friend. I’m proud of us.

My Father, My Friend