War Starts When You Get Home

[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

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