When I was fifteen, I left home young   Tore up the tracks and then some   Me and my dad didn't see eye to eye   I never took to him, he never took the time   Bullet proof, more than tough, smarter than he ever was      Well, I burned those wheels down the highway   And I learned what I learned the hard way   Do the best you can do, love many, trust few   Work hard for the money in your hands   That's the measure of a man, yeah, the measure of a man      Anger burns, love cools it down   Pretty young woman turned my head around   The world through her eyes looked so different   She lives on faith, she looks for forgiveness   Fool proof, it ain't easy, I need her, she needs me      She stole my heart on this highway   She taught me to love through the hard days   Yeah, she's cool when I'm not, she's steady as a rock   She's as solid as the ring on my hand   That's the measure of a man, yeah, the measure of a man      Last night she handed me a son of my own   It killed me to do it, but I picked up the phone      Hey dad, I burned ten years down this highway   And I learned what I learned the hard way   Truth is I need you, we'll cry if we need to   And I'll swallow my pride if you can   That's the measure of a man, oh yeah, the measure of a man