What the Quiet Gave Me

“What the Quiet Gave Me” Lyrics by Dane DeValcourt I learned early how to listen From a man who didn’t talk much at all Under pecan trees with a four ten Just watchin shadows crawl He’d hand me patience like a lesson Never rushed a single day Said “Son, the world’ll tell you plenty If you just stay outta the way” Yeah, I was young, but I was payin attention To the spaces between the sound That’s what the quiet gave me A steady hand, a deeper breath How to sit with pain and not run How to love what I ain’t got left When the world gets loud and heavy I still hear his voice in me Sayin “Boy, stand tall, don’t say a word” That’s what the quiet gave me Spent one long summer fixin leather Tryin to earn somethin he once owned Every stitch felt like a promise I was makin on my own But life don’t always wait on ready And heaven don’t make fair trades He left before I ever held it That saddle never came my way Still, every mile I’ve ever ridden Feels like I know the reins That’s what the quiet gave me A backbone when the ground gives way A way to carry loss with grace And still get up the next day I’ve lost love, blood, and reasons Still I ain’t afraid to bleed Yeah, the man I am was built from What the quiet gave me Colorado lakes at sunrise Lines cuttin through the still No need to talk about forever When the moment always will I see my girls in that reflection Strong, wild, and free And I pray they learn the power Of silence, just like me That’s what the quiet gave me Roots that don’t give up or bend A heart that breaks but don’t stay broken And the will to rise again I’ve been Texas born, Louisiana raised Every scar still stands with me If I’m solid now, it’s all because Of what the quiet gave me Yeah, I walk this road with my head held steady I don’t need the world to see The loudest strength I’ve ever known Is the quiet left in me