He Didn't Have to Be

Album: Who Needs Pictures (1999)
Charted: 30
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  • When a single mom goes out on a date with somebody new
    It always winds up feeling more like a job interview
    My mama used to wonder if she'd ever meet someone
    Who wouldn't find out about me and then turn around and run

    I met the man I call my dad when I was five years old
    He took my mom out to a movie and for once I got to go
    A few months later I remember lying there in bed
    I overheard him pop the question and I prayed that she'd say yes

    And then all of a sudden, ah, it seemed so strange to me
    How we went from something's missing to a family
    Lookin' back all I can say about all the things he did for me
    Is I hope I'm at least half the dad that he didn't have to be

    I met the girl that's now my wife 'bout three years ago
    We had the perfect marriage but we wanted somethin' more
    Now here I stand surrounded by our family and friends
    Crowded 'round the nursery window as they bring the baby in

    And now all of a sudden, ah, it seemed so strange to me
    How we had gone from something's missing to a family
    Lookin' through the glass I think about the man that's standing next to me
    And I hope I'm at least half the dad that he didn't have to be

    And lookin' back all I can say about all the things he did for me
    Is I hope I'm at least half the dad that he didn't have to be

    Yeah, I hope I'm at least half the dad that he didn't have to be
    Because he didn't have to be
    You know he didn't have to be Writer/s: Brad Paisley, Kelley Lovelace
    Publisher: Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Spirit Music Group
    Lyrics licensed and provided by LyricFind

Comments: 1

  • Jacob Wang from San Francisco, CaSomeone who came into my life in 1981 when I was 11 years old at my mom's request (but didn't date her) because she thought I needed a man to talk to & treated me like a son. When I heard that he had passed away in September 2020, this song was in my head
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