The Day I Let You Down

You left home with your heart open wide
You set out west for the land of opportunity
Meanwhile mine was all emptiness inside
Everything in the rearview mirror had turned blue to me
You can put yourself together piece by piece
And you might go a couple of rounds
But chickens come home to roost, and foxes to feast
They eventually find you out
No one had to tell me it was time to leave
My good name was hitched to a pickup, dragged all over town
I dried my eyes on the side of my sleeve
The day I let you down
Your ma had just lost the Powerball
Your sister said a mouthful
Your brother was away at war
I said what I was sorry for
I whispered through the screen door
Till you didn't want to hear no more
You said, Go on being who you are
And see how it all works out for you
If there's penance to be paid, then that's just what I'll do
I'd get down on bended knee
But if that sentence prevents me from ever seeing you
They can go on and excommunicate me
Man alive, I'd never seen that expression on your face
It still comes to mind at the strangest times
It all went down in black and white, that's how I remember that night
The day I let you down
The TV was selling credit cards
You said, That's something you can't say sorry for
If you're holding out for me to call
I wish you wouldn't do that at all
And that's how a small town stays small
Folks make up their minds and cross their arms
I swore I'd forget each word that slipped
From between your tender lips
So why do I love you still?
Why do I love you still?