I know this isn’t the kind of piece you usually get from me.
But something happened this week that stopped me in my tracks.
A man…roughly my age, Gen X, battle-tested…called me out of the blue. Within ten seconds, he was crying. Not polite tears… the real kind. The kind that comes from somewhere deep and old….Gutted
It reminded me of something I wrote a long time ago…before I ever had words for what I was going through. I wasn’t writing a “song” then.
I was trying to find something I’d lost.
When I first shared it on LinkedIn recently, three GenX men (all car guys) messaged me privately to say it brought a tear to their eyes. One even went to Suno AI to try and give it a sound.
I decided to share it again here because I think many of us may be circling the same truth…
Most men never got permission to feel, let alone understand, what we’ve survived.
So here’s that piece.
It’s called “The Boy by the Creek”.
It’s about coming home…to yourself.
This Newsletter is sponsored by Vin Syndicate
Foreword to “The Boy by the Creek”
Alternate title (“Rub some dirt on it”)
A song about a man and the boy he used to be
I didn’t set out to write a song.
I set out to find something I’d lost.
Somewhere along the line…like a lot of men…I learned to survive.
- To carry pain in silence.
- To keep walking no matter what cracked beneath my feet.
- To bury the soft parts.
- To armor up.
- To call it strength.
But there was always a part of me I couldn’t quite name.
- A quiet ache.
- A memory that wasn’t a memory, but more like a place I’d forgotten how to get back to.
That place became this song.
It’s about a man who finally stops running long enough to return to the boy he left behind.
- Not to rescue him.
- Not to fix him.
- But to bring him home.
Because every man I know is carrying something.
And too many of us have confused surviving with living.
I hope by writing this, it somehow finally gives men the permission they never knew they needed.
- To feel.
- To forgive themselves.
- To come home to the version of themselves they were always meant to be.
And if that moment comes…
I bet it won’t happen in a crowd.
- It’ll be behind the wheel.
- In the shower.
- In the garage.
- Or some other place you’ve gotten used to being…. alone.
That’s where this song was meant to meet you.
And that’s where the boy by the creek has been waiting.
-Bob Manor
This Newsletter is sponsored by Influence.vin
The Boy by the Creek
(Rub some dirt on it)
A duet between the man and the boy he used to be
“Verse 1 - The Man (Reveal)”
I’ve carried caskets made of promises,
Worn silence like a second skin.
Each heartbreak, each hard day,
Rubbed dirt on the wounds and kept goin.
They called it strength.
I called it surviving.
But you…
You musta seen me disappearing.
“Verse 2 - The Boy (Anchor)”
I waited right where you left me
by the creek in the clearing.
Drew maps in the mud with my fingers,
Hoping you’d come back with a story.
You stopped believing in dragons.
I stopped speaking at all.
I thought maybe you forgot…
But I’ve just been here, waiting.
“Verse 3 - The Man (Shame and Realization)”
I wore suits to hide the shame.
Learned to speak in sharp angles and stay silent.
But under all the noise…
I knew you were there.
And I couldn’t look…
’cause I thought you might see me.
Not the man.
Not the muscle.
But the hole
Where our dreams used to be.
“Chorus - Together (Lift)”
I forgive you for surviving
I forgive you for leaving.
I know now you were trying.
I know now I was grieving.
Let’s walk back through the clearing.
Let’s start where we began.
You be the boy again,
I’ll be the kind of man
who never leaves you behind.
“Bridge - Spoken / Whispered Memory”
Everyone has a spot they used to go to daydream.
Even if it wasn’t a dream.
Maybe it was a fire escape.
Maybe a bus seat.
Maybe just the back of a closed eyelid.
But it was yours.
And you were more real there
Than anywhere else.
“Verse 4 - Convergence (They begin to merge)”
I walked past the old tree line today.
The one we swore we’d climb when we were older.
And there it was…
that worn-down patch of earth,
the spot where our dreams used to be.
You looked up.
I looked down.
And somehow…
I knew I’d see you again.
“Final Chorus / Tag - The Return (Signal)”
I found you where I left you…
Still holding that flame.
I thought I had to bury you
To become a man with a name.
But I see now…
You were the part of me
That made this life mean anything.
I came back…
To bring that boy home
To where we are supposed to be.
Stay Lit
Bob
About Bob Manor
Bob Manor is the founder of South Ontario Auto Remarketing , Can-Am Dealer Services , and co-founder of Auto Auction Review . He’s also the creator of Influence.vin , a branding and communication studio built for the car business. With over 30 years in the automotive world, Bob specializes in wholesale, dealer services, and identity-driven brand strategy. He’s a regular contributor to well-known automotive publications and uses his platforms to help industry pros re-align with who they are, not just what they do
