The only way he knew how

For the longest time he was the kind
That just didn't understand
Hard to read and hard to please
Yeah that was my old man

On the day i left for college
It was nothin'new
We never had that 'heart-to-heart'
We had too much to do

He checked the air in my tires
The belts and all the spark plug wires
And said "when was the last time,
You had this oil changed?"

And as i pulled out the drive
He said "be sure to call your mom sometime"
I didn't hear it then
But hear it now
He was sayin' "i love you"
The only way he knew how

120,000 miles, 6 years down the road
Brand new life, a band new wife
We just bought our first home
When he finally came to visit
I thought he would be so proud
He never said he liked the place
He just got his tool belt out

Put new locks on the doors
Went back and forth to the hardware store
And said "come in for this flash light"
As he crawled beneath the sink

These wires are not up to code
And that circuit box is going to overload
And i didn't hear it then
But i hear it now
He was saying' "i love you"
The only way he knew how.

Last sunday, we all gathered for his 65th birthday
And i knew he would stiffen' up but i hugged him anyway.
When it was finally time to say goodbye
I knew what was next
Just like he always did right before we left…

And as i pulled out the drive
He said "be sure to call your mom sometime"
And i wish i knew back then
What i know now
He was sayin' "i love you"
He was sayin' "i love you"
The only way he knew how