The whole ride home I thought about your life
How you were just nineteen when you took a wife
Thought of a young man, landing in France
Braver then me, the first to show up at the dance

thought what you told me that night in Berlin
How you may lose, but there s no way you ll win
About leaving your country when you were just ten
You came to Wisconsin and they let you in

My heart feels like a Pedal Steel
My heart knows what is real

Of all of the books that you told me to read
Here s my little secret if you d stay and won t leave
You left me your shirts, a belt buckle of pearl
A legacy for me and my girl

In this whole crazy life, so big and so small
There s so much to enjoy, but you can t do it all
So you start everyday with a choice to decide
You think of the others who ve lived and who ve died
And you pray you ll take as much away
You ll have lived it as well at the end of the day

Of all of the things I remember
So many times to be missed
In the end with a wink and a wave
The old man just blew me a kiss
Maybe if he d had a son,
things might have been different somehow
Maybe I wouldn t have known you,
and I wouldn t feel so fucked up now
Maybe if I do my best, if I do everything I can do
I ll consider my life a success if I m anything like you