"The Man that I Called Dad"

He kept his gray hair in a flattop
And he walked with his back straight
His voice could cut you clear down to the bone
He was just five foot eleven
But there was not a bigger man
A tender heart with hands as hard as stone

He served two tours of Korea
Doing what he had to do
So many times he was called to lead the charge
He never talked much about it
Unless he drank a few
And everyone he knew just called him "Sarge"
This average man who walked and talked so large

And I was proud to walk beside him
When we went down the street
One hell of a handshake to the people he'd meet
And the way they would look at him
Made me so glad
That the legend they called, "Sarge", was the man I called "Dad"

Well, he always had that frown
That never meant he was mad
It was carved into his face by time's harsh breath
But that laughter broke through anything
that time built around his face
and that laugh was there the day he faced his death -

Well it's been about five years now
Since my Dad had gone away
I held his hand as he left us for the sky
And I can imagine the look on St. Peter's face
When Dad shook his hand and looked him in the eye
And marched fast into that sweet bye and bye

(And then he'll know)

That I was proud to walk beside him
When we went down the street
One hell of a handshake to the people he'd meet
And the way they would look at him
Made me, oh, so glad
That the legend they called "Sarge" was the man I called "Dad"