Still My Dad Uke tab by HG

Strumming pattern: d-d-u-u-d-u

Verse 1
C                 G
I still remember waiting by the door,
Am                 F
Hoping you'd be someone you were before.
C              G
You said you'd come, you said you'd stay,
Am                    F
But somehow promises just faded away.
C                  G
Now I see you with a bottle in your hand,
Am                    F
And I don't know how much more I can stand.
C                 G
You're right there, but you're far away,
Am                     F
And I miss the dad I needed yesterday.
Pre-Chorus
Am                 F
I know you love me, I know you try,
C                         G
But love feels different when you're never really there.
Am                 F
And every time I say goodbye,
C                       G
There's something I wish I could have said.
Chorus
C          G          Am
You're still my Dad, and I still love you,
F                    C
Even when I don't know what else to do.
G             Am
I hate the distance, I hate the pain,
F                         C
I hate that I keep hoping things will change.
C                 G
You're still my Dad, that's why it hurts,
Am                    F
'Cause I needed you when life got worse.
C                   G
I don't need perfect, I never did,
Am                       F
I just needed you to really be there, Dad.
Verse 2
C                       G
I wish you'd called me in the middle of the week,
Am                       F
Said, "Get your shoes, I'll come and get you, let's go."
C                 G
Just one more day, just something small,
Am                    F
Something that could've meant it all.
C                 G
We had those days, like fishing by the lake,
Am                       F
Small little memories I wish I could replay.
C                         G
I know there were good times somewhere in between,
Am                         F
I just wish there were more of them for me.
Pre-Chorus
Am                    F
And maybe I'm cruel when I walk away,
C                       G
Maybe I shouldn't keep my distance this way.
Am                         F
But every time I see you drunk again,
C                          G
I lose a little piece of who I was back then.
Chorus
C          G          Am
You're still my Dad, and I still love you,
F                    C
Even when I don't know what else to do.
G             Am
I hate the distance, I hate the pain,
F                         C
I hate that I keep hoping things will change.
C                 G
You're still my Dad, that's why it hurts,
Am                    F
'Cause I needed you when life got worse.
C                   G
I don't need perfect, I never did,
Am                       F
I just needed you to really be there, Dad.
Bridge
Am                 F
Maybe one day you'll understand,
C                       G
Why I had to let go of your hand.
Am                  F
It wasn't hate, it wasn't goodbye,
C                         G
I was just tired of watching you disappear inside.
Am                     F
And if I could talk to that younger me,
C                           G
I'd say, "Son, it's not your fault, you see."
Am                       F
You can't save someone who won't save themselves,
C                         G
And you don't have to carry what belongs to someone else.
Final Chorus
C          G          Am
You're still my Dad, and I still love you,
F                    C
That doesn't mean I can't be hurt too.
G                 Am
I can walk away and still care,
F                    C
I can miss you even when you're not there.
C                  G
You're still my Dad, and maybe someday,
Am                         F
You'll put that bottle down and find your way.
C                         G
And if you ever ask me what I needed then,
Am                         F
I'd say, "Dad, I just needed you to be my Dad."
Outro
C
I don't want to hate you.
G
I just wanted you close.
Am
You're still my father...
F
But I needed you most.
C
You're still my Dad...
G
Still my Dad...
Am
Even from a distance...
F
I still love you.
C
Dad.