[Verse 1]
When you saw your dad shoot up for the first time
Must've came as quite a shock
You sat numb in your room for hours
Ignorin' the afternoon's drop-offs
You pictured him, arms outstretched in a song
And after Sunday school let out
He'd drive the family home, and you'd
Ask about Jesus

[Pre-Chorus]
But fifteen years can change a man
Alone in this wilderness

[Chorus]
Well, just keep your head up if you're not okay
But "not okay" is what's expected
They'll call you a hero if you make it off the couch
You know the truth in what they say
The world's gonna kick you either way

[Verse 2]
And you're stuck in this routine
Trying to make something on your own
Your oldеr brother fled the country
Cops arе coming 'round your home
And Kaylee has a baby on the way
They're not gonna leave her a single mother
Dope was legal, but they roughed you up for selling on the side
[Pre-Chorus]
Yeah, twenty years will change a man
Ten with behavior is what you're looking at

[Chorus]
Just keep your head down, and you'll be okay
You're living up to what's expected
They'll call you nothing when you're walking out the door
Know the truth in what they say
The world's gonna kick you either way

[Bridge]
But your mom won't even come around most days
Pop your prescription, and you put on a brave face
You zone out to the local AM station
And don't think about next month's visitation
I saw you last week, we haven't talked since graduation
You're moving H with a guy to catch up, but it's clear you're using
And I still don't have the guts to be a better friend
But Christ, what's ten grand gonna fix in the end?

[Chorus]
Just keep your head up, you're not okay
"Not okay" is what's expected
Called you a hero, but you died there on the couch
The truth in what they say
The world's gonna kick you either way