Spirit of a Boy Wisdom of a Man
Glen Burtnik Lyrics


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He was 16, tender & tough.
She was too, & he'd do anything to prove his love

With so much riding on the choice at hand
The spirit of a boy, the wisdom of a man

Hearts caught fire, love ran wild.
She cried the day she called to say
She was carrying his child
With so much riding on the choice at hand
The spirit of a boy, the wisdom of a man

It's a constant contradiction
What feels good & what feels right
You live with the decisions you make in your life
And what steers your direction is hard to understand
The spirit of a boy, the wisdom of a man

He drives a diesel out of Dallas
Hauling cars out to the coast
It ain't the dream that he remembers
Just a few short years ago

Tonite at the truck stop he drinks a cup
The waitress grins, winks at him & says
"my shift's almost up"

With so much riding on the choice at hand
The spirit of a boy with a pocket full of plans




And so much riding on the choice at hand
The spirit of a boy, the wisdom of a man

Overall Meaning

The song "Spirit of a Boy Wisdom of a Man" by Glen Burtnik tells the story of a young man who falls in love with a girl when he is just 16 years old. He is both tender and tough, and he is willing to do anything to prove his love to her. The song talks about the choices that the young man has to make, such as whether to stay with the girl he loves, and how he needs both the spirit of a boy and the wisdom of a man to make these difficult decisions.


The chorus of the song talks about how living with decisions you make in your life is a constant contradiction between what feels good and what feels right. The young man's life takes an unexpected turn when the girl he loves tells him that she is pregnant, which only adds to the pressure of the decisions he has to make. He finds himself driving a diesel out of Dallas, hauling cars out to the coast, which is not the life he had imagined for himself.


The song speaks to the struggle of growing up and making tough decisions that have long-lasting impacts on our lives. It tells the tale of the choices that we all have to make, and how we need both the spirit of a boy and the wisdom of a man to navigate the path of life.


Line by Line Meaning

He was 16, tender & tough.
He was young and inexperienced yet strong and resilient.


She was too, & he'd do anything to prove his love
The girl was also tender and tough like him, and he was willing to go to great lengths to demonstrate his love for her.


Hearts caught fire, love ran wild.
Their passion and love for each other were intense and untamed.


She cried the day she called to say She was carrying his child
She was emotional and overwhelmed when she shared the news of her pregnancy with him.


It's a constant contradiction What feels good & what feels right You live with the decisions you make in your life And what steers your direction is hard to understand
Life is full of paradoxes, and making choices based on what feels good versus what is right can be challenging. Ultimately, the decisions we make shape our direction and are not always easy to comprehend.


He drives a diesel out of Dallas Hauling cars out to the coast It ain't the dream that he remembers Just a few short years ago
He is currently working in a job that is not his ideal situation and is quite different from the aspirations he held just a few years earlier.


Tonite at the truck stop he drinks a cup The waitress grins, winks at him & says 'my shift's almost up'
While stopping at a truck stop, a waitress flirts with him by winking and teasing him, indicating that her shift is almost over.


With so much riding on the choice at hand The spirit of a boy with a pocket full of plans And so much riding on the choice at hand The spirit of a boy, the wisdom of a man
Despite being filled with ambition and plans for his future, he recognizes that the choices he must make are significant and will require him to tap into both his youthful energy and mature insight.




Lyrics © Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: GLEN BURTNIK, TREY EDWIN BRUCE

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
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