[Verse 1]
Bottles on the floor, a tattered jacket on a nail,
Porch light on, small sneakers lined up on the rail.
Midnight sirens used to mark the time I'd roam,
Now there's a nightlight hum and quiet footsteps leading home.
[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.
[Chorus]
I traded thug nights for their sunrise — two girls, one boy, daylight's clear,
Gave up my lies for lullabies — I'm their dad, father of the year.
From felons' footsteps to bedtime steps, I walked out of the fear,
I traded thug nights for their sunrise — I'm their dad, father of the year.
[Verse 2]
Coffee on the counter, cartoons on a Saturday morn,
Tucked a note in my pocket that says "Forgive me," and I'm worn.
No more bottle-blurred nights — just bedtime tales and sleepy sighs,
A row of tiny shoes, a blanket fort, and dawn in their eyes.
[Pre-Chorus]
I traded my darkness for soft songs and honest prayers,
That little chorus in the kitchen makes me put down what was there.
[Chorus]
I traded thug nights for their sunrise — two girls, one boy, daylight's clear,
Gave up my lies for lullabies — I'm their dad, father of the year.
From felons' footsteps to bedtime steps, I walked out of the fear,
I traded thug nights for their sunrise — I'm their dad, father of the year.
[Verse 3 - Rap Verse]
Came up from cold blocks, old clocks ticked my yesterdays,
Bullet holes in my choices — I stitch a new phrase.
Handcuffs to hand-me-down lessons, I flipped the page, no bail, just grace,
Put the steel of my will in their smiles, not in the case.
Street sermons said survive — I learned to thrive, rewrite the creed,
Night runs traded for nursery runs, teachin' love with speed.
I spit textbooks of scars into rhymes that heal, drop the façade,
Broke cycles like bad habits — now we ball in the yard.
For every dark corner I dodged, I plant light in their view,
Teach my son how to lace hope, not lace up for a feud.
No more ghosts in the crib — I stake my claim in their years,
I'm the father that fights, then sings them to sleep, shiftin' gears.
[Chorus]
I traded thug nights for their sunrise — two girls, one boy, daylight's clear,
Gave up my lies for lullabies — I'm their dad, father of the year.
From felons' footsteps to bedtime steps, I walked out of the fear,
I traded thug nights for their sunrise — I'm their dad, father of the year.
[Bridge]
There was a morning I handed in my keys, a court date behind me gone,
I signed a promise on the porch, watched the old life fade with the dawn.
A single photo on the mantel saved me when I almost slipped away,
I chose their faces over shadows — that moment turned my gray to day.
[Chorus — Big]
I traded thug nights for their sunrise — two girls, one boy, daylight's here,
Gave up my lies for lullabies — I'm their dad, father of the year.
From felons' footsteps to bedtime steps, small hands that pull me near,
I traded thug nights for their sunrise — I'm their dad,father
