[Verse 1]
Bottles on the floor, a tattered jacket on a nail,
Porch light glows, Riley's sneakers lined up on the rail.
Sirens in the distance used to chase me through the night,
Now a nightlight hums and little footsteps steal the light.
[Pre-Chorus]
I put the old me on a shelf, swapped the lies for lullabies,
A tiny whisper in the dark — "Daddy's here" — and I memorize.
I fold my shame into a song and then I...
[Chorus — Hooked]
Lullabies for Riley, Kiley, Cole
Daddy's here — I hold my role
Gave up nights for morning light
Lullabies — I won't let go
[Production cue: three-part harmony on line 1, handclaps/stomp on backbeat, vocal stack on payoff]
[Verse 2]
Coffee on the counter, Saturday cartoons and sleepy grins,
Tucked a paper note — "Forgive me" — in the pocket of my jeans.
No more bottle-blurred nights — just bedtime tales and gentle sighs,
A teddy with a missing eye, a scribbled sun taped to the fridge.
[Pre-Chorus]
I traded darkness for soft songs, honest prayers and steady tries,
That little chorus in the kitchen snaps my old excuses dry.
I put my hands where love can grow and then I...
[Chorus — Hooked]
Lullabies for Riley, Kiley, Cole
Daddy's here — I hold my role
Gave up nights for morning light
Lullabies — I won't let go
[Production cue: layered vocal harmonies, light acoustic strum, clap-snap groove]
[Verse 3 — Rap (12–14 bars) — Country Pop crossover]
Came from cold corners where streetlamps spelled my name in dust,
Clock-ticks sold my choices cheap — I learned to trade that rust.
Turned a felon file to father files — baby smiles, parole to pillow fights,
Signed my name beneath a crayon sun, then swore I'd earn those rights.
Riley's red truck held busted dreams, she tapes 'em up and races on,
Kiley paints constellations out of soup stains at dawn;
Cole hugs Tiny Rex with a cape that's stitched from old shirts,
Calls me "Old Man C" then plants a grin that heals my worst.
I flip the past like broken vinyl — scratch to song, wrong to right,
Internal rhymes, I stitch the seams: remorse to resource in the night.
(Triplet) Fast: I lace hope in their sneakers, lace hope not the street, (trip)
Slow it back: no bail bonds, just ball games and tucked-in sheets.
Punchline couplet: turned felon files to father files — baby smiles,
From parole to pillow fights, I trade my trials for tiny miles.
[End rap cadence: syncopated triplet run, then pull back to breath]
[Chorus — Big & Anthemic]
Lullabies for Riley, Kiley, Cole
Daddy's here — I hold my role
Gave up nights for morning light
Lullabies — I won't let go
[Production cue: full band, three-part harmony, stomps on 2 & 4, vocal stack on last line]
[Bridge]
There was a morning I handed in my keys, a court date left behind,
I signed a promise on the porch and watched the old life wash like rind.
A crinkled photo taped to the mantel saved me when I almost slipped away,
I chose their faces over shadows — that one picture turned my gray to day.
[Chorus — Full Payoff]
Lullabies for Riley, Kyle
