Steady as a Sunday

[Verse 1]
You were four years old
Hiding behind her jeans
Tiny boots, tangled hair
Sizing up this stranger in your kitchen
I burned the toast
Just to hear you laugh
You said, “You’re not my dad”
I said, “That’s okay, we can start with that”
[Chorus]
I ain’t the one who gave you your last name
I’m the one who showed up to the ballgame
Learned your favorite snack, learned your bedtime show
Sat in every cheap seat, front row
I’m not the man who held you your first day
I’m the man who’s here now, come what may
You don’t have to call me dad if you don’t want to
But I’ll love you like I do
[Verse 2]
Science fair glue
All over the table
We stayed up late
Building crooked castles out of cable
First broken heart
You slammed that bedroom door
I waited on the hallway carpet
Till you cried it out on the floor
[Chorus]
I ain’t the one who gave you your last name
I’m the one who waited in the rain
Outside that school when the world felt mean
Driving home slow, letting you just breathe
I’m not the man who held you your first day
I’m the man who’s here now, come what may
You don’t have to call me dad if you don’t want to
But I’ll love you like I do
[Bridge]
One day you’ll leave this little town
Box of photos, truck packed down
If someone asks you who I am
You can call me anything
I’ll still be your biggest fan (oh yeah)
[Chorus]
I ain’t the one who gave you your last name
But I painted it on every game-day sign you waved
From your training wheels to your first tattoo
Every clumsy step, I was learning you
I’m not the man who held you your first day
I’m the man who’s here now, come what may
You don’t have to call me dad if you don’t want to
But I’ll love you
Yeah, I’ll love you like I do

country, Warm modern country ballad with male vocals, brushed drums, and gentle acoustic picking. Steel guitar swells and soft piano fill the spaces; verses stay intimate and low, chorus lifts with stacked harmonies and a rootsy bass groove. Bridge strips back to just vocal and guitar before a final, anthemic chorus with a subtle organ pad for heart.