He tore down the work of 17 years brick by brick And stone by stone No hammer was swingin' cause cheatin' and drinkin' Don't need no help wreckin' a home Ah, but when he came back through the dust and the rubble Of what he had once called his life He dropped to his knees in sheer disbelief of the total destruction inside There were empty closets and empty drawers And a tearstained note on the kitchen floor And burning memories in the fireplace He waited too late to say he was wrong His house was still standing but his home was gone Brother, you would not believe What you can see from your knees Right then and there in an old sinner's prayer He told things he'd kept in the dark There was no use in lying cause the man who was listening Could see every room in his heart Ah, he took empty whisky bottles, little black book and all To the fire she left on the grate Ah, sometimes a man will change on his own But sometimes I tell you it takes Empty closets and empty drawers And a tearstained note on the kitchen floor And burning memories in the fireplace He waited to late to say he was wrong His house was still standing he'd fight for his home Brother, you would not believe, oh you would not believe What you can see from your knees