The Party at Dawn

June twenty-fifth, nineteen fifty. Four in the morning. A party nobody asked for. Four in the morning, Grandpa's wide awake Staring through the window, memories he can't shake Flashes in the distance, but it wasn't no show No one sent invitations, nowhere left to go He said, "I still remember every sound, every face" I nod my head, but I can't picture that place Seventy-some years, and the memories fade But the scars on his heart never went away Some still remember Some let it fade But the night never ended And the price was paid There was a party at dawn, nobody wanted to stay No music, just thunder tearing dreams away I don't know that morning, but Grandpa remembers The fire in his eyes still burns like embers Don't forget, don't forget Even when the sun goes down Don't forget, don't forget We gotta pass that story down No invitation, no choice, no warning sign Just a world turned upside down in the blink of an eye Some lost their brothers, some lost their homes Some lost the road that could've led them home Now I'm standing here with a future in my hands Reading 'bout a war that divided up this land But to him it ain't a chapter, ain't a history page It's a wound still bleeding underneath his age I never knew the cost of an ordinary day How many dreams were buried just to light my way So I pick up this pen, let the memories flow For the ones who lived a story I'll never know There was a party at dawn, nobody wanted to stay No music, just thunder tearing dreams away I don't know that morning, but Grandpa remembers The fire in his eyes still burns like embers Don't forget, don't forget Even when the sun goes down Don't forget, don't forget We gotta pass that story down Pages keep turning, generations disappear But the echoes of the past are still ringing in our ears Time keeps moving, but the truth remains Every name forgotten is another silent pain Don't tell me that the party ended long ago When there's still a line dividing everything we know I wasn't there, but that don't mean I can't see Their yesterday became the life they gave to me Grandpa remembers... I wasn't there... But now I understand. There was a party at dawn, nobody wanted to stay No music, just thunder tearing dreams away I don't know that morning, but Grandpa remembers And I'll carry his story through every December Don't forget, don't forget Let the whole world hear the sound Don't forget, don't forget We won't let their names die out The morning of June twenty-fifth, nineteen fifty. The voices that never made it home. And the reason we remember... Is so that party never happens again. Never forget.