He didn't ask He didn't pry He just held the ice that covered my black eye And when that girl She broke my heart We just threw that baseball back and forth ‘till dark And when I started playing guitar And didn't have a clue He wanted to protect me But somehow my father knew, that You can't cry for ‘em Live and die for ‘em You can help them find their wings but you can't fly for ‘em ‘Cause if they're not free to fall, than they're not free at all And though you just can't bare the thought of letting go You pick ‘em up You dust ‘em off And send ‘em on down the road A little kiss On a skinned up knee From playing soccer, riding bikes and climbing trees When bad dreams Filled their heads
I chased the monsters out from underneath their beds I guess I always knew those days would end But the hardest thing I've ever learned has been, that You can't cry for ‘em Live and die for ‘em You can help them find their wings but you can't fly for ‘em ‘Cause if they're not free to fall, than they're not free at all And though you just can't bare the thought of letting go You pick ‘em up You dust ‘em off And you send ‘em on down the road You can't cry for ‘em Live and die for ‘em And even though it's gonna break your heart, you let ‘em go You pick ‘em up You dust ‘em off You pull them close And you pray to God To send ‘em on down the road Down the road Down the road