He was 16, tender and tough
She was too, and he'd do anything to prove his love
With so much riding on the choice at hand,
the spirit of a boy, or the wisdom of a man

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

There's a constant contradiction, what feels good and what feels right
But, you live with decisions that you make in your life
And what steers your direction is hard to understand,
the spirit of a boy, or the wisdom of a man

Now he drives a diesel out of Dallas,
hauling cars out to the coast
It ain't the dream that he remembered, just a few short years ago
But tonight at a truckstop, while drinking a cup,
the waitress grins and winks at him,
and says, "My shift's almost up"
With so much riding on the choice at hand,
the spirit of a boy, or the wisdom of a man

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