I Thought That's Who I Was Lyrics

Me and Billy Joe Taylor joined each other at the hill
I loved him like the brother I never had
He was my go to guy on third and ten
He made me look good at the quarterback
Texas had a man in the stands the night we beat the panthers
Said they had a spot for both of us that next fall
We were ridin’ high on pride and big time futures
Small town paper said we had it all

Up until the night me and Billy Joe
Drank way too much for Blue Buck Road
“Born to be Wild” on the radio
God, I still hate that song
Both of us died there in that crash
But I lived to wish I had that night back
After that football didn’t mean that much
But until then, I thought that’s who I was

Daddy had a hardware store where hard work was his livin’
Peddlin’ the hammers that built this town
I broke his heart that summer
I told him what I wasn’t gettin’
How to sell the nails by the pound
Spent my last paycheck on an RC and a Greyhound
The front seat to the world I’d never seen
Got a job, got a girl had some cash and the world in my pocket
Thought I’d found my place in the great machine

Up until the night I got the call
Momma said “Daddy didn’t feel nothin’ at all”
But she broke down right before she called,
Said baby we need ya here with us
I told my boss to wish me the best
I told my girl she’d wish we never met
But I don’t regret what I gave up
Cause until then, I thought that’s who I was
I drove straight through some twists and turns
Went through some crash and burns
Stumbled through lessons learned
With the weight on my shoulders
Went around the world
To find the girl God had in mind
He gave me a better life the one I scratched up

But until then, I thought that’s who I was
But that ain’t who I was