A dark country song by R.J. Sloane about breaking a cycle of violence and choosing to be something better than what raised you.
A man. A gun. A five-year-old watching. The fight to break a cycle isn't just about what you do — it's about who's watching you do it. One of the hardest songs in the catalog. One of the most necessary.
Inspired by Flynn Harper in The Maverick Marshal.
VERSE 1
He taught me hate
before he taught me how to ride
Left us hungry, bleeding,
Mama's grave behind
Now standing before me,
Devil wearing daddy's face
And every scar he carved in me
Is screaming for this day
CHORUS
Facing off with the devil
Who sowed evil in my heart
Rage rising, blood boiling, bile rising
Payback for the wounds he left in the dark
But my boy—
His innocent eyes see
Watching my every move
I must fight the monster inside
Show him a new path to choose
Not become the man I swore I'd never be
VERSE 2
Five years old and watching—
He don't know what hate can cost
My father's shadow chills my heart almost lost
One pull of this trigger
And justice turns to wrong
My boy's only inheritance
A wicked father's song
CHORUS
Facing off with the devil
Who sowed evil in my heart
Rage rising, blood boiling, bile rising
Payback for the wounds he left in the dark
But my boy—
His innocent eyes see
Watching my every move
I must fight the monster inside
Show him a new path to choose
Not become the man I swore I'd never be
BRIDGE
This strips me to nothing
Justice is far from done
His vile legacy ends here
God please help me!
Lay down the darkness
Let me rise as the man
I am meant to become
CHORUS OUT
Facing off with the devil
Who sowed evil in my heart
Rage rising, blood boiling, bile rising
Payback for the wounds he left in the dark
But my boy—
His innocent eyes see
Watching my every move
I must fight the monster inside
Show him a new path to choose
Not become the man I swore I'd never be
© 2026 Desert Life Media, LLC. All Rights Reserved.