“Carried Me Through"
I was barely twenty-one
With a wild streak in my veins
Worked long days, slept little
Pushed my body through the pain
Till an old wreck came back to haunt me
Like a debt I couldn’t pay
Doctor handed me a bottle
And it stole my life away
At first it felt like freedom
Like I finally could stand
But them little white pills slowly
Turned a boy into a man
Who would lie to his own mother
Steal from people that he loved
Trade his soul for one more high
Then blame the world instead of drugs
I was sinkin’ like a stone
Lord, I was too far gone
Burnin’ every bridge I crossed
One bad choice at a time
But my family stood beside me
When I gave ‘em every reason not to
And when I couldn’t carry myself
They carried me through
One summer day in Laurel County
Ridin’ four-wheelers through the mud
Laughin’ with my kinfolk
Till my heart slowed in my blood
Hit the ground beside that trail
Blue lights cuttin’ through the trees
Helicopter blades above me
Mama fallin’ to her knees
I came back but I was angry
That I still had breath to breathe
Addiction had me chained so tight
I thought dyin’ was relief
Started losin’ every paycheck
Couldn’t hold a steady line
Even lost a truckin’ job
That once made me feel alive
I was sinkin’ like a stone
Lord, I was too far gone
Burnin’ every bridge I crossed
One bad choice at a time
But my family stood beside me
When I gave ‘em every reason not to
And when I couldn’t carry myself
They carried me through
There were nights I sat alone
With a pistol and a prayer
Wonderin’ if anybody
Would even miss me there
Then I’d hear my daddy’s voice
Or my older sister cry
And somewhere deep inside me
Somethin’ still refused to die
Now I ain’t sayin’ life’s perfect
There’s still scars beneath my skin
Still fight demons in the mirror
Some nights they almost win
I kinda got my family's trust back
Got my soul back piece by piece
And these days when mama calls me
She hears a man at peace
Yeah I was sinkin’ like a stone
Certain I was too far gone
But grace showed up beside me
Right when all my hope was gone
And the people I kept hurtin
Kept on pullin’ me toward truth
When I couldn’t carry myself
They carried me through
Now every sunrise feels holy
Every breath feels brand new
I’m alive because they loved me
Enough to see me through