Keeps Me Alive

Way back in Alabama where the dirt roads cut through the woods
And when it rains you can smell the steam off the grass
Even dew on the hood of my paw paw's 1985 Chevrolet Silverado
I must have been about six
Life was so easy back in the sticks
16 year old mother fought for the life she wanted for her son
Lookin' for love in the world of rock and roll is where it begun
It was Alabama, Ted Nugent
Alice Cooper, Randy Travis
Aerosmith kept my stepdaddy on the road
And life, it was madness
Cocaine and alcohol filled up the house party to be frank
It wasn't too long before I tried it myself and then started to drink
School became boring and doing my homework became rollin' joints
Now I'm sixteen like my mama was when she had a little boy
Can't imagine it now as I look back 'cause I got three kids of my own
And I respect what she went through to pay for food and clothes
And her home
'Cause it ain't what she did, it's what she didn't do for me
That brought me to this moment
And made me who I am on this recording
And this is my story

This is my story
This is my glory
This is what keeps me alive
This is me flying
This is me trying
This is what keeps me alive

20 years old in the streets and I'm rollin' with gangsters now
Hip-hop is takin' over me, my language, my clothes, my lifestyle
Antioch, Tennessee put me through the school of hard knocks
And I carry that attitude with me to this day, more or not
And I'm young and hot-headed
Always running from police and skateboardin'
Graffiti, loiterin', I sorta got my peace from the chaos
Was no "mother-may-I's," surrounded by have-nots
And maybe some day I's well
I was against the grain, even when I was growin' wheat
Got back into rock and roll, and then got into poetry
Started expressin' everything I could through the medium of pen and pad
Playin' instrumentals off a tape and then over-dubbin' what I had
It was everything, because I had nothin'
And man that was alright, 'cause now I had somethin'
Little did I know that would be the hardest thing to do God ever put before me
So I took a look at what I've been through
And I made it my glory, and this is...

This is my story
This is my glory
This is what keeps me alive
This is me flying
This is me trying
This is what keeps me alive

It's a 2 AM bus 'craw; from me at the parkin' lot of Wal-Mart
Leavin' Nashville, Tennessee for a nationwide tour
My bags are all packed and I'm loadin' my truck to go meet the crew
And I'm excited to get on the road, already one foot out the door
Turn around and it's my daughter, she's cryin'
'Cause daddy is leavin'
Knows that I'll be gone for months and it hurts and I hate to see it
Kneel down and tell her, "Look, baby, I promise I'll call you everyday
And daddy will sing you prayers from everywhere that we go play"
But that's not enough, and it's breakin' my heart in two
Just knowin' I can't stay, not even to see it through
And that I can't tuck her in, to say goodbye with a grin
Now she's bein' left behind, this is me all over again, man
I picked her up in my arms and held her tight
And said, "Hey you know what? Daddy used to be just like you
When I would walk up to the bus
And I'd do anything in the world for you, so chase your dreams
One day you'll use everything you've been through to be anything, baby girl
This is my story

This is my story
This is my glory
This is what keeps me alive
This is me flying
This is me trying
This is what keeps me alive