I was just a dreamer with a six-string in my hand
Chasing songs across the highways, through every no-name band
Nights in smoky bars, playing for a beer and a meal
Back then I was hungry… now I know what’s real

It wasn’t just the lights or the big old stage
It was the stories in the verses… and the friends I made

Grammys and gold records just sit on a shelf
They shine in the silence, but they don’t sing themselves
The crowds and the applause will someday fade
But thank God for the lyrics and the friendships I’ve made
Yeah, it’s the songs and the people that still make me feel
That every line I wrote was honest and real

I’ve seen my name in headlines and on record store walls
But it’s those back porch sessions that I still recall
Trading verses with strangers who became my kin
Where the music never ended… it just started again

Now the spotlight’s softer, but the fire still burns
In every word I write, there’s a life I’ve earned

Grammys and gold records just sit on a shelf
They shine in the silence, but they don’t sing themselves
The crowds and the applause will someday fade
But thank God for the lyrics and the friendships I’ve made
Yeah, it’s the songs and the people that still make me feel
That every line I wrote was honest and real

Maybe I won’t sell out another crowd
But I’ve got stories worth singing out loud
And if I leave this world with a pen in my hand
I’ll die a rich and grateful man

Grammys and gold records just sit on a shelf
A lifetime of music I wrote for myself
The lights may go dim, but I ain’t afraid
‘Cause I’ve got the lyrics and the friendships I’ve made
Yeah, it’s the heart in the song, not the number it played
That’ll carry my soul to the sweet by and by someday

Grammys and gold records… they’re just souvenirs
But a song and a friend… they’ll outlive the years