From the recording The Way They Used to Be
Description: A Dad remembers when his kids were young. Warm, rootsy, and emotionally grounded, the song tugs at the heart without getting soupy, blending classic country storytelling with a modern male vocal delivery.
Artist Fit: Chris Stapleton, Cody Johnson, Jon Pardi, Tim McGraw, Zach Bryan, Midland
Sync Keywords: nostalgia, small town, memories, rootsy, reflective, sentimental, Americana, warm, heartfelt, looking back, classic country
Lyrics
I remember laughter,
Backpacks by the door,
Sunday pancakes sizzling
And Legos on the floor.
I’d help them with their homework,
Chase monsters from their rooms,
Teach them to love football
On October afternoons.
The saddest part of getting old,
Is the silence in the spaces
Where bedtime tales were told.
They’ve turned out so much better
Than I ever could have dreamed,
But I wouldn’t mind
Just one more day
The way they used to be.
They’re building their own futures,
That’s how it ought to be,
They can’t run the race to win
If they’re looking back at me.
We still talk about their troubles,
But it never feels the same,
Cause cheering from the sidelines
Isn’t coaching in the game.
The saddest part of getting old,
Is the silence in the spaces
Where bedtime tales were told.
They’ve turned out so much better
Than I ever could have dreamed,
But I wouldn’t mind
Just one more day
The way they used to be.
It isn’t like it all was laughter.
I had to teach them right from wrong,
But they always knew
What I was after
That they’d grow up
Straight and strong.
The saddest part of getting old,
Is the silence in the spaces
Where bedtime tales were told.
They’ve turned out so much better
Than I ever could have dreamed,
But I wouldn’t mind
Just one more day
The way they used to be.
Yes, I’d give a lot for one more day
The way they used to be.