Lost Boots and Empty Halls

I used to count the cracks in that hallway floor

Wonderin' what I was even there for

Back row desk with my head in my hands

Teacher talkin' like a far-off band

Numbers swam and the clock moved slow

Everybody else seemed to know

I wore a smile like a borrowed shirt

Came home quiet with a pocket full of hurt

They said grow up,

son, just pay your dues

But I was tryin' not to come loose

With a backpack full of things I couldn't say

I hated school, but I hated feelin' small

Lost in my head with my back to the wall

Every bell rang like a train I missed Every young heart can

get tired of this I was lookin' for a road,

not a rule

Tryin' to find myself outside of school

Mama asked why I stayed in my room

I said I was tired,

but she knew

Report cards folded in a dresser drawer

Couldn't tell what I was fightin' for Some kids ran toward a

football field

I just wanted one place that felt real

I ain't mad at the past anymore

Just the kid I left pacing that floor

If you're lost, hold on through the rain

There is a name for more than pain

I hated school, but I hated feelin' small

Lost in my head with my back to the wall

Every bell rang like a train I missed Every young heart can

get tired of this

Now I'm lookin' for a road I can choose

And a kinder way to carry the truth That old school road

don't own me now

I'm still learnin' somehow