Notches

He said steady now keep your chin up I can't do this on my own But I'd just turned 8 and I couldn't wait To see how much I'd grown Grandpa got out his pocket knife and I watched the notch go in I said a few more and I'll be all grown up And he said with a grin They're just notches a couple lines nothing more You see it's not how tall you stand son it's what you're standing for The measure of a man is the mark he makes when nobody watches Promise me you'll make the most of that space Between the notches By 18, I was a rebel child just looking for a fight Till my raising hell landed me in jail one cold November night When they lined me up for a picture I saw the writing on that wall And I remembered the words my grandpa had said as tears began to fall They're just notches a couple lines nothing more You see it's not how tall you stand son it's what you're standing for Oh the measure of a man is the mark he makes when nobody watches They said turn sideways and I stood there with my face Against the notches That night I had a choice to make and I chose to learn from my mistakes And i'm proud to say I turned my life around And on the day before my son was born I stopped by grandpa's house We stood in that doorway where my years had been carved out He gave me his knife and said keep track of your little man I said yes sir, and I'll make sure he understands They're just notches a couple lines nothing more You see it's not how tall you stand son it's what you're standing for The measure of a man is the mark he makes when nobody watches And I'll teach him to make the most of that space between the notches Cause I've learned life is all about that space between the notches