House Daddy Built Songtext
von Mark Idlewilde

Nine kids runnin′ wild through a two bedroom storm
Hand-me-down chaos was the way we were born
Mama yelled from the kitchen, dinner flyin' off the stove
Dad just smiled like a man who′s seen it all before
He'd tap his ring on the table, say, "Quiet down, or try"
But we knew from that half grin he didn't really mind
Life was loud as a freight train runnin′ through that home
But Daddy′s laugh made every wall feel strong

He had wisdom in those one-liners, jokes sharper than a blade
You'd swear the whole town stopped to hear the things he′d say

Yeah, I grew up in the house my daddy built
Chaos, love, and sawdust on the sill
He taught me how to stand when life gets rough
How humor can heal you when the pain's too much
And when the world feels heavy and the nights get long
I close my eyes and I can hear his voice still on
That kind of love don′t fade, it's carried in your bones
I′m still that kid in the house my daddy built at home


He wore that Italian pride like a badge on his chest
A handshake like concrete and a heart that did the rest
Forty years in the Lions Club, shippin' glasses 'cross the sea
Folks said he gave more than most men ever dream
At the wake they lined the streets, five hundred strong at least
Stories ′bout his kindness felt like songs he left in me
Even the priest smiled and whispered by his bed,
"Feels like your daddy′s interviewin' me instead"

He didn′t preach with sermons, he taught by how he lived
A joke, a wink, a hug - that's how he chose to give

Yeah, I grew up in the house my daddy built
Where the loud got louder but the love was real
When life got hard he′d say, "Son, don't break - bend"
And somehow he made the truth feel like a friend
And when the world feels heavy and the nights get long
I still hear him say, "Stand tall, you′re my son, stay strong"
That kind of love don't fade, it's carried in your bones
I′m still that kid in the house my daddy built at home

Some men leave money, some men leave land
My daddy left a legacy of how to be a man
A laugh that filled a barroom, a heart that filled a town
A life worth rememberin′ when the sun finally goes down


Yeah, I grew up in the house my daddy built
Brick by brick of humor, heart, and will
Now when I stumble, feel lost or worn
I hear his voice say, "Son, you've weathered worse storms"
And though he′s gone, his spirit's stitched into my soul
I′m forever that boy in the only home I've ever known
That kind of love don′t fade, with time it's still
Holdin' me up in the house my daddy built
My daddy built