

Prompt / Lyrics
[Verse 1] They said "son, you're finally done" shook my hand in the sand and dust Packed my bag, flew me back to a town that forgot what trust is Mama cried at the baggage claim Dad just stared at the floor They saw my face but not the names I carried through that door [Chorus] 'Cause the war starts when you get home When the guns go quiet but your head won't I see my brothers each time I close my eyes Set another place at a table of ghosts and I toast 'em with a lie, say I'm alright But the war starts when you get home at night [Verse 2] I leave the TV on till dawn just to drown out distant fire Still flinch when a truck backfires spills me right back in the wire There's a picture on my nightstand smiles frozen in the sand Three of us made it to that frame I'm the only one who still stands [Chorus] 'Cause the war starts when you get home When the flag stops waving but you feel alone I hear 'em laughing then I hear the final calls Every empty chair at the hometown bar is a roll call on these walls Yeah, the war starts when you come back at all [Bridge] I learned a different kind of survival Clocking in, faking a grin Swallowing words at church on Sunday while they pray for the next one to begin I don't bleed the way I used to but I'm cut just the same These scars wear street clothes and my pain's got my name [Chorus] 'Cause the war starts when you get home When the crowds stop cheering and you're on your own I talk to angels that never made it off that road Every laugh I fake, every hand I shake feels like carrying their load Yeah, the war starts when they say you're done And you fight all night just to see the sun
Tags
country, Slow, aching country ballad with male vocals; brushed snare and soft kick under fingerpicked acoustic guitar, warm pedal steel weeping in the background. Verses stay hushed and conversational; chorus blooms with stacked harmonies and long, held notes. Subtle organ pad swells in the bridge, then everything drops to just guitar and voice for the final chorus line., sad, emotional
3:07
No
1/31/2026