a/n: chose this specific cover because of the vibe it gives. and i damn well love this band.

I saw the sun begin to dim
And felt that winter wind blow cold

He's seen bad things, he's come home in the middle of a storm, he knows that things can get bad. 

A man learns who is there for him
When the glitter fades and the walls won't hold

Nothing is glitter and gold always. You learn who your friends are. Especially in a war. Kentucky learned these things the hard way. There's a reason he holds onto that picture. 

Cause from that rubble what remains
Can only be what's true

Anything or anyone that sticks around after shit's hit the fan is worth staying around. Some states are Kentucky's best friends for that reason, some.... are not. He got really good at reading a person's intentions.

If all was lost
There's more I gained
Cause it led me back to you

As mentioned, he has friends. He lost a lot of things, only to come back and find he still had someone to come home too. 

From now on
These eyes will not be blinded by the lights

He won't let himself get blinded by his goals and big dreams again, he likes his people and wants to be around them more than he wants any success. 

From now on
What's waited 'til tomorrow starts tonight
Tonight

Why put off today what you can do tomorrow is a stupid rhetoric that Tucky hates. He wants to get things done and not feel bad about not doing them. He likes to feel productive.

Let this promise in me start
Like an anthem in my heart
From now on
From now on

He made a promise to himself that he would change for the better. He knows he doesn't have the nicest reputation, and he's got past actions that he's super ashamed of, who doesn't? He wants to be better. Whenever it's hard, he reminds himself of that promise. He won't break his promises.

I drank champagne with kings and queens
The politicians praised my name
But those are someone else's dreams
The pitfalls of the man I became

Kentucky's got a lot of shit in his past. He knows he became a bit of a mess. He was someone else entirely. He didn't really think about what he really wanted, he did what he was "supposed" to want to do. What most people told him to do. Aka: his politicians and the people in charge.

For years and years
I chased their cheers
The crazy speed of always needing more
But when I stop
And see you here
I remember who all this was for

He wanted to do great things for the people he cared about and considered his family. He started that for them and lost himself along the way.

the song is much longer but it's a lot of repetition