Mike Corrado: Lyrics & Songs
The Better Part of Me
(Mike Corrado)
November 4, 2008
Mike Corrado
Towards the end of August 2007, I flew to Chicago to play at a Motorcycle Poker Run sponsored by the Wounded Heroes Fund http://www.woundedheroesfund.net They had coordinated this amazing event and worked it out to have one of Motorola’s private jets fly a handful of wounded warriors from Brooke Army Medical Center (BAMC) in San Antonio, TX to Chicago. When the plane arrived, the warrior received a limo ride under military escort from the Patriot Guard Riders and other local motorcyclists to the resort they called home for a week. They also received new phones, went to a Sox game, got new suits from the Men’s Warehouse, were treated to spas, great dinners and treated like kings for a week and rightfully so. On the day of the poker run, close to 1,000 motorcycles showed up for the ride and it was great to see the community embrace these wounded warriors and show them their appreciation for their sacrifices.
Although I went to perform, I got involved and wound up helping these guys get around and where they needed to be on time. With some in wheelchairs, some on prosthetic limbs and walking canes for those with blindness or eye injuries, it proved to be challenging at times but they were all always up to the task. Being with the guys for a few days wound up being an honor and eye opening experience for me. I got to really talk to these guys and their stories were unbelievable. Having deployed to Fallujah, Iraq as a Company Commander, I have lost Marines and had some critically injured and medevaced to BAMC. Earlier in 2007, while stationed in Kansas City as an Inspector-Instructor, I had the opportunity to visit BAMC to award two Marines from Missouri their Purple Hearts as well as visit one of my Marines who had been at BAMC since sustaining injuries during Operation Matador in May of 2005. Catching up on the stories of the wounded warriors flown in for this event allowed us to talk about some comrades we had some common. Since we had walked some of the same ground in Iraq they really opened up to me about how they felt about their service, their buddies and the future.
The story behind this song is the stories of a couple guys wrapped into one. One is a double amputee Army Soldier and his wife who I met. The Soldier had lost his legs after his HMMWV hit a roadside bomb.
The other two are Marines, who sustained severe burns to which I can’t even describe the extent of their injuries, it is just amazing they are all alive. The song is about people like the Soldier and Marines’ wives. One of the Marines who was badly burned told his fiancé (at the time) to leave and go on with her life, that she did not deserve to deal with or be burdened by his injuries and that she deserved a better/normal life. She said no way. Same with the Soldier’s wife. For me, “the better part of me” is about this situation, that they stuck it out and never thought of leaving. They are all amazing people.
I wrote it from the perspective of that military spouse, girlfriend or fiancé … only imagining the pain and struggle they feel while sitting in the hospital room staring at their loved one who’s hooked up to life support machines or covered in compression bandages for burns or watching them go through painful rehab. The whole time holding on and hoping they can weather the storm together, and letting him know she’s still committed. This is a fight most couples or families will never know, perhaps for most, a tougher fight than any war, the fight to hold on.
I'm holding my breath, I'm closing my eyes
To fight back the tears I'm holding inside
To see you this way, makes me, makes me break
I'm shaking, I'm breaking
I'm coming apart beyond saving
I'm hoping, I'm praying
That you will always be the better part of me
I'm still here when you said run
Doing my best from coming undone
To see you this way, makes me, makes me break
I'm shaking, I'm Breaking
I'm coming apart beyond saving
I'm hoping, I'm praying
That you will always be the better part of me
I'm shaking and I'm Breaking
I'm coming apart beyond saving
I'm hoping and I'm praying
That you will always be the better part of me
You’re the better part of me…
Mike: Acoustic Guitars, Vocals
Tommy Brothers: Electric Guitars, String Arrangement
Lamont Sydnor: Drums
John White: Bass