“Scroll down to the end of the article to listen to music.”

Introduction
Some songs don’t just tell a story — they feel like a memory you’ve lived yourself.
“That’s My Job” is one of those rare songs.
This isn’t Conway Twitty the superstar.
This is Conway the son — the kid who grew up watching his father work, worry, protect, and love in all the quiet, unglamorous ways that don’t make it into photographs but stay with you long after the man is gone.
The beauty of the song lies in its simplicity. It’s not trying to be clever. It’s not trying to be dramatic. It’s just a man admitting something we all eventually realize:
We don’t understand our parents until life forces us into their shoes.
Conway sings every line with that mixture of regret and gratitude people feel when they finally look back and see the sacrifices they missed as children. When he hits the chorus — “That’s my job… that’s what I do” — he’s not just quoting a father. He’s reliving a truth he carried long after that father was no longer here to say it.
Released in 1987, the song didn’t need flashy production or chart tricks. What made it a lifelong favorite was how deeply it resonated with anyone who ever loved, feared losing, or finally understood a parent. It’s gentle, emotional, and honest in a way only Conway could deliver.
And maybe that’s why the song still hits people decades later.
Because it reminds us of something universal:
the love we inherit becomes the love we give.
And the “job” our parents took on — protecting us, guiding us, believing in us — becomes the job we pass to the next generation, often without realizing it.
At its core, “That’s My Job” isn’t just about a father and son.
It’s about legacy.
About the quiet kind of love that shapes you even after the voice that taught it is gone.
Video
Lyrics
I woke up crying late at night
When I was very young
I had dreamed my father
Had passed away and gone
My world revolved around him
I couldn’t lie there anymore
So I made my way down the mirrored hall
And tapped upon his door
And I said “Daddy, I’m so afraid
How will I go on with you gone that way?
Don’t want to cry anymore, so may I stay with you?”
And he said “That’s my job
That’s what I do
Everything I do is because of you
To keep you safe with me
That’s my job you see”
Later we barely got along
This teenage boy and he
Most of the fights it seems
Were over different dreams
We each held for me
He wanted knowledge and learning
I wanted to fly out west
Said, “I could make it out there
If I just had the fare
I got half, will you loan me the rest?”
And I said “Daddy, I’m so afraid
There’s no guarantee in the plans
I’ve made and if I should fail
Who will pay my way back home?”
And he said “That’s my job
That’s what I do
Everything I do is because of you
To keep you safe with me
That’s my job you see”
Every person carves his spot
And fills the hole with light
And I pray someday I might
Light as bright as he
Woke up early one bright fall day
To spread the tragic news
After all my travel, I settled down
Within a mile or two
I make my living with words and rhyme
And all this tragedy
Should go into my head and out instead
As bits of poetry
But I say “Daddy, I’m so afraid
How will I go on with you gone this way?
How can I come up with a song to say I love you?”
That’s my job, That’s what I do
Everything I do is because of you
To keep you safe with me
That’s my job you see
Everything I do is because of you
To keep you safe with me
