Happy Father’s Day! …Regardless of the circumstances.
I don’t know the history of this song… I don’t know what inspired it and I don’t know the precise circumstances of the storyteller. What I can tell from the lyrics is that the man in the pickup truck loves his children and wishes he played a greater role in their lives. There are many fathers who will go unrecognized today due to various reasons: distance, alienation, “replacement”, a poor relationship with their ex… and for some, unfortunately sometimes it’s best to disappear…. Here’s to them!
And here are the lyrics:
Who’s That Man, written and performed by Toby Keith
Turn left at the old Hotel
I know this boulevard much too well
It hasn’t changed since I been gone
Oh, this used to be my way home
They paved the road through the neighborhood
I guess the county finally fixed good
It was gettin’ rough
Someone finally complained enough
Fight the tears back with a smile
Stop and look for a little while
Oh it’s plain to see
The only thing missing is me
That’s my house & that’s my car
That’s my dog in my back yard
There’s the window to the room
Where she lays her pretty head
I planted that tree out by the fence
Not long after we moved in
That’s my kids and that’s my wife
Whose that man, runnin’ my life
If I pulled in would it cause a scene
There not really expectin’ me
Those kid’s have been through hell
I hear they adjusted well
Turn around in the neighbors drive
I’d be hard to recognize
In this pick-up truck
It’s just an old fixer up
Drive away one more time
Lot of things going through my mind
I guess the less things change
The more they never seem the same
That’s my house & that’s my car
That’s my dog in my back yard
There’s the window to the room
Where she lays her pretty head
I planted that tree out by the fence
Not long after we moved in
That’s my kids and that’s my wife
Whose that man, runnin’ my life