A Father's Love (The Only Way He Knew How)

For the longest time, I guess I thought
He didn't give a damn
Hard to read, hard to please
Yeah, that was my old man
On the day I left for college
It was nothing new
We never had that heart-to-heart
He had too much to do
He checked the air in my tires
The belts and all the spark plug wires
Said "When the hell's the last time
"You had this oil changed"
And as I pulled out the drive
He said "Be sure and call your mom sometime"
And I didn't hear it then but I hear it now
He was saying that "I love you"
The only way he knew how
120,000 miles
Six years down the road
A brand new life and a brand new wife
We'd just bought our first home
When he finally came to visit
I thought he'd be so proud
He never said he liked the place
He just got his tool belt out
And put new locks on the doors
Went back and forth to the hardware store
Said "Come and hold this flashlight"
As he crawled beneath the sink
And "These old wires ain't up to code"
And "That circuit box is gonna overload"
And I didn't hear it then but I hear it now
He was saying that "I love you"
The only way he knew how
Last Sunday, we all gathered for his 65th birthday
And I knew he'd stiffen up but I hugged him anyway
When it was finally time to say goodbye
I knew what was next
Just like he always does
Right before we left
He checked the air in my tires
The belts and all the spark plug wires
Said "When the hell's the last time
"You had this oil changed"
And as I pulled out the drive
He said "Be sure and call your mom sometime"
And I didn't hear it then but I hear it now
He was saying that "I love you"
He was saying "I love you"
The only way he knew how