I Was Dad Until I Was Mike

Verse

You were just a little girl when I walked through that door,

Never dreamed you'd become someone I'd fight this hard for.

Ten years of scraped-up knees and tears I helped you dry,

Every parent-teacher conference, I was standing by your side.

Back-to-school clothes, school dances, birthdays every year,

Trying to be the steady hand whenever life brought fear.

I wasn't a perfect man, Lord knows I made mistakes,

But every choice I made was for our family's sake.

Pre-chorus

Love ain't written in the blood running through your veins,

It's the one who keeps on showing up through sunshine and through rain.

Chorus

I was Dad until one day I was just Mike,

No warning, no goodbye, life changed overnight.

I never asked you to choose, I never blamed your heart,

Every little girl deserves to know where she comes from at the start.

But I'd be lying if I said it didn't break me inside,

Losing a daughter while she's still alive.

Verse

People only see the ending, they don't know the road,

They don't know the silent weight a stepfather can hold.

To love a child as your own without a guarantee,

Knowing one day she might not need you... even after everything.

If love could be measured by the things a man would do,

I'd live those ten long years again just to be there loving you.

No regrets for every sacrifice, every dollar, every mile,

Because every single one was worth your smile.

Bridge

There was one promise I couldn't keep, and I still carry that day.

You walked across that stage... and I wasn't there.

Not because I didn't love you, not because I didn't care.

A fire broke out behind our home, and I had to make a choice.

Stay and fight to save everything we'd built, or watch it all disappear.

I prayed you'd someday understand...

That missing that moment still breaks my heart.

Chorus

I was Dad until I became Mike,

But no name can erase ten years of my life.

I'll still be cheering every dream, every mountain that you climb,

Even if it's from a distance this time.

You'll always have a place inside this heart of mine,

And if you ever need me... you won't have to wonder why.

Because no matter what this world decides to call me,

I'll always love you like I was your dad.

Outro

So if these words ever find you somewhere down the road,

I hope they remind you of a love that never let go.

You may call me Mike today... and that's alright.

But in my heart, I'll always treasure the years...

When I was blessed enough to hear you call me Dad.