[Intro]
(Instrumental: Acoustic guitar strumming, subtle harmonica, light foot stomp rhythm)
[Verse 1]
Sun dips low on the Georgia clay, dust kicks up on a long-gone day
Front porch swing and a mason jar, hummin' hymns beneath a rusty star
Granddaddy said, "Boy, life's a ledger," scribbled lessons from a weathered sweater
Some names shine bright like a harvest moon, some fade quicker than a June monsoon
Got kinfolk built like ancient oaks, roots run deep through the jokes and pokes
And others? Well, they slipped like sand, holdin' dreams too loose within their hand
This dirt road wisdom, slow and deep, secrets that the pines all keep
Yeah, I carry 'em all, the high and low, watchin' how the story's bound to go.
[Chorus]
Oh, my zeroes and my heroes, walkin' through this southern sun
The battles lost, the victories won, under heaven, everyone
From the shotgun shack to the river's bend, on the shoulders where I stand and mend
These are my zeroes and my heroes, 'til the very end.
[Verse 2]
Aunt Mae with her hands like leather seams, stitchin' quilts from forgotten dreams
Preached 'bout grace with a sideways grin, forgave the world for every sin
Then there's Joe, quick with a dollar scheme, vanished faster than a mornin' steam
Left nothin' but a borrowed dime and a trail of trouble every time
I rap this tale with a folksy drawl, not a city shout but a backwoods call
Like creek water flowin' over stone, these words are seeds that I have sown
For the quiet strength, the reckless fall, the ones who answered when I'd call
The ones who vanished down the track, leavin' nothin' but their shadow at my back.
[Chorus]
Oh, my zeroes and my heroes, walkin' through this southern sun
The battles lost, the victories won, under heaven, everyone
From the shotgun shack to the river's bend, on the shoulders where I stand and mend
These are my zeroes and my heroes, 'til the very end.
[Bridge]
The church bell chimes a lonesome sound, echoes 'cross the burial ground
Where saints and sinners side by side, beneath the same eternal sky
The lesson ain't in gold or fame, just the echo of your given name
Did you lift folks up or drag 'em low? Only time and the good Lord know...
Only time and the good Lord know.
[Verse 3]
So I tip my hat to the steady hand, who worked the unforgivin' land
To the wild one who broke the mold, chasin' silver, leavin' gold
The teacher with her patient eyes, the dreamer reachin' for the skies
The broken soul who lost the f***t, fadin' gently in the night
This soulful rhythm, this country b**t, taps the truth beneath my feet
A tapestry woven thick and thin, where every thread must be let in
My zeroes taught me how to fall, my heroes showed me how to crawl
Then stand tall, yeah, stand up straight, meetin' mercy at the gate.
[Chorus]
Oh, my zeroes and my heroes, walkin' through this southern sun
The battles lost, the victories won, under heaven, everyone
From the shotgun shack to the river's bend, on the shoulders where I stand and mend
These are my zeroes and my heroes, 'til the very end.
[Outro]
(Acoustic guitar strumming continues, harmonica wails softly, foot stomp fades gradually. Gentle hum under the last guitar notes)
