Song Description

Just how much choice do we actually have in life? William James is the authority on the matter.

Lyrics

Do We Build the Days Ahead
Copyright © 2025 David Baumgarten

Bpm:90 Key: Em

(A Country Father-Son Conversation)

[Verse 1: Son]
Dad, I swore I left this place,
Boots in the dust, wind in my face.
I burned that house, I tore it down,
So why's it still standin' in this town?

[Verse 1: Father]
Son, you can torch the walls, break the beams,
Call it a past you've never seen.
But fire don't take what you ain't let go,
And a man don't leave 'til he learns what he knows.

[Pre-Chorus: Son]
Bent nail, Wooden beam,
I hit it straight, but it twists between.
Every step I claim as mine,
Somehow, I've walked it a thousand times.

[Chorus]
Do we build the days ahead,
Or find 'em buried in the dirt instead?
These lands we leave still call our name,
An oath we swore--yet here we stand again.

[Verse 2: Son]
The glass won't crack, the road won't break,
I try to turn, but it turns me back.
I change the street, I pull the sign,
Still end up where I swore ain't mine.

[Verse 2: Father]
Boy, a map don't change 'cause you fold it tight,
Ain't no new roads when you walk 'em blind.
You call it fate, you call it bad luck--
But a man repeats what he won't own up.

[Pre-Chorus: Son]
Names dissolve,
Shapes remain,
That ol' wheel swears it found a lane,
Yet all it does is spin in place,
Callin' circles by a brand-new name.

[Chorus]
Do we build the days ahead,
Or find 'em buried in the dirt instead?
These lands we leave still call our name,
An oath we swore--yet here we stand again.

[Bridge: Father]
Go on, boy, lay that hammer down,
You're chasin' ghosts in this old town.
You think you're runnin', but take a look--
Your footprints match where I once stood.

[Outro: Son]
I tell myself the past is dust,
It fills my lungs, it turns to rust.
I chase the dawn like it's all brand new--
But by morning, morning light I've seen...And it's seen me, too.

[Tag]
Go on, boy, lay that hammer down,
You're chasin' ghosts in this old town.
You think you're runnin', but take a look--
Your footprints match where I once stood.

Playlist Creator	Playlist Name	Date Added
David Baumgarten	BRUSHFIRE	3/14/2025
David Baumgarten	Country	3/6/2025
David Baumgarten	Life & Death	3/6/2025