The song is from the perspective of a father who died at battle, trying to talk to his son, hoping that the child doesn’t end up the same way he did.
[Verse 1: Andy Sturmer]
I hope you remember me, I was your daddy once
Wearing the sailor cap, dirty nails
To you I'm just a picture on your mother's mantelpiece
Who chose to fight the good fight in time to fail
[Chorus]
Into battle
And in your shadow your daddy loves you still
Yes I do
[Verse 2: Andy Sturmer]
I never thought it'd be so hard to see you grow so fast
And turn into the man I used to be
But I hope you have more sense than I in matters such as these
Medals don't mean shit when a family is lost at sea, yeah
[Chorus]
Into battle
And in your shadow your daddy loves you still
Yes he does, yes he does
[Chorus]
Into battle
And in your shadow your daddy loves you still
Yes he does, yeah, yes he does
[Bridge]
I save every moment I've reached out and almost touched you
But they all fade away, must be a bad memory
[Harmonica solo]
[Chorus]
Into battle
And in your shadow your daddy loves you still
Yes he does, yes he does
[Chorus / Outro]
Into battle
And in your shadow your daddy loves you still
Yes he does, yeah, yes he does
Yes he does
The Man I Used to Be was written by Roger Joseph Manning Jr. & Andy Sturmer.
The Man I Used to Be was produced by Albhy Galuten.
Jellyfish released The Man I Used to Be on Mon Jan 01 1990.