“The Man I’m Trying to Be” (Deep Soul Country Ballad) (Verse 1) There’s an old dirt road outside this town, Where I used to drive when life got me down, Windows open, radio on low, Trying to outrun things nobody knows. I’ve made mistakes I can’t undo, Burned some bridges, broke hearts too, Spent years acting strong and tough, Till life showed me that ain’t enough. (Pre-Chorus) Cause every mile and every scar, Made me look at who we are, And somewhere between lost and free, I found the man I’m trying to be. (Chorus) I wanna love deeper, hold on tighter, Be a little more truth and a little less fighter, Leave this world better than the way I found it, Even when the pain all around me doubts it. Cause time moves fast like the Tennessee wind, One day we’re young, next day wondering where it went, So I’m learning slowly through all I’ve seen… How to become the man I’m trying to be. (Verse 2) I’ve seen good people lose their way, Hearts get hardened by yesterday, Watched old men sit in silence alone, Wishing they’d spent more time at home. And I’ve held hands at hospital beds, Heard goodbye words that still echo in my head, Funny how life strips it all away, Till love’s the only thing that remains. (Bridge) Maybe heaven ain’t so far, Maybe it lives inside our hearts, In forgiveness, grace, and sacrifice, In showing up through the hardest nights. And maybe God don’t care what we own, Or the titles carved in stone, Maybe He just wants us to try To love each other before goodbye. (Final Chorus) So I wanna love deeper, hold on tighter, Be the shoulder someone leans on when life gets harder, Leave behind more than a name on a headstone, Give my kids something stronger to hold. Cause time moves fast like the Tennessee wind, And none of us know when the story will end, But if somebody remembers my soul someday… I hope they say He became the man he was trying to be. (Outro) Yeah… the man I’m trying to be… Still learning… Still growing… Still believing.