Measure of a Man - Clay Aiken

These battered hands are all you own This broken heart has turned to stone Go hang your glory on the wall There comes a time when castles fall And all that's left is shifting in the sand You're out of time, you're out of place Look at your face That's the measure of a man This coat that fits you like a glove These dirty streets you learned to love So welcome back my long lost friend You've been to hell and back again God alone knows how you crossed that span Back on the beat, back to the start Trust in your heart That's the measure of a man It's the fire in the eyes, the lines on the hand It's the things you understand Permanent ties from which you once ran That's the measure of a man You've come full circle, now you're home Without the gold, without the chrome And this is where you've always been You had to lose so you could win And rise above your troubles while you can Now you can love, now you can lose Now you can choose That's the measure of a man It's the fire in the eyes, the lines on the hand It's the things you understand Permanent ties from which you once ran That's the measure of a man You've come full circle, now you're home Without the gold, without the chrome And this is where you've always been You had to lose so you could win And rise above your troubles while you can Now you can love, now you can lose Now you can choose That's the measure of a man

Nobody feels the pain behind the love you show Nobody feels the burden that is yours alone If when the morning comes you're not with me (destiny) I know that you'll return with destiny Only you can truly understand The measure of a hero, is the measure of a man (I wanna kiss it better, the measure of a man) The measure of a man (I wanna kiss it better, the measure of a man) Your body bears the scars of every man I know So softly I wanna kiss it better, the scarlet letter To me, you don't belong If when the morning comes, you're not with me (destiny) I know that you'll return with destiny Only you can truly understand The measure of a hero, is the measure of a man (I wanna kiss it better, the measure of a man) The measure of a man (I wanna kiss it better, the measure of a man) It's the manners that make a man But the hammers that break a man Damn, they wanted to see me broke But I flipped the script and I broke the pen Young and wealthy Don't let it overwhelm me I still give thanks Still can't tell me Nothin', the system failed me I still bounced back I run this ting, got a lot of endurance What you know about drastic measures? I married the hustle Me and the game, like Harry and Meaghan Some man in my hood too jealous Why do you feel that we carry a weapon? Take time and trust the process Life's a game of chess, not checkers Told bro that, "You gotta stop stressin'" "Gotta stop thinkin' you won't get through it" "It's all in your mind" "I failed a couple of times" "I got up and got back to it" Only (only) you can (you can) truly (truly) understand The measure (measure) of a (of a) hero is the measure of a man The measure of a man Only you can truly understand The measure of a hero, is the measure of a man The measure of a man

There is a desert in my mouth complete with tumbleweeds, A billion grains of sand, cactus and coyotes, There is a battlefield in my head complete with cannons and cavalry, Helicopters overhead, and they're searching for yours truly, Send me the bill for the mess we've made, You survived the renaissance with souvenirs of powdered wigs and Corsets for your cracked ribcage elegant figure, Another living dead ballroom dancer shouting from escapes like They've got the answer, come down and we'll converse, can you help Me determine the measure of my worth, you know that our nightlife, It runs into daylight, We're the type of cats that bring an axe to a knife fight, Its such a scene you second guess your vision, I swear we're not dumb we just make bad decisions, So go ahead and get me wrong, I'd rather not be gotten right.