A Father's Love (The Only Way He Knew How)

Album: I'm Alright (2010)
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  • For the longest time, I guess I thought
    He didn't give a damn
    Hard to read, hard to please
    Yeah, that was my old man
    On the day I left for college
    It was nothing new
    We never had that heart-to-heart
    He had too much to do

    He checked the air in my tires
    The belts and all the spark plug wires
    Said "When the hell's the last time
    "You had this oil changed"
    And as I pulled out the drive
    He said "Be sure and call your mom sometime"
    And I didn't hear it then
    But I hear it now
    He was saying "I love you" (He was saying "I love you")
    The only way he knew how

    120,000 miles
    Six years down the road
    A brand new life and a brand new wife
    We'd just bought our first home
    When he finally came to visit
    I thought he'd be so proud
    He never said he liked the place
    He just got his tool belt out

    And put new locks on the doors
    Went back and forth to the hardware store
    Said "Come and hold this flashlight"
    As he crawled beneath the sink
    And "These old wires ain't up to code"
    And "That circuit box is gonna overload"
    And I didn't hear it then
    But I hear it now
    He was saying "I love you"
    The only way he knew how

    Last Sunday, we all gathered
    For his 65th birthday
    And I knew he'd stiffen up
    But I hugged him anyway
    When it was finally time to say goodbye
    I knew what was next
    Just like he always does
    Right before we left

    He checked the air in my tires
    The belts and all the spark plug wires
    Said "When the hell's the last time
    "You had this oil changed"
    And as I pulled out the drive
    He said "Be sure and call your mom sometime"
    And I didn't hear it then
    But I hear it now
    He was saying "I love you" (He was saying "I love you")
    The only way he knew how

    He knew how Writer/s: Liz Hengber, Steven Joseph Williams, Thom Shepherd
    Publisher: Anthem Entertainment, Hipgnosis Songs Group, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
    Lyrics licensed and provided by LyricFind

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