'The Man He Sees In Me' by Luke Combs – Lyrics & Meaning

It looks like fatherhood is impacting Luke Combs in more ways than just one, with the Grammy award-winner admitting that he has “a whole bunch” of father-focused songs on the horizon, ultimately tugging on the heartstrings of country music lovers, primarily those who double as parents.

The first song that Combs has teased – proving that he is deep in his dad era – is 'The Man He Sees in Me,' taking to TikTok to share the soon-to-be hit song.

The 'Beer Never Broke My Heart' singer is now a father of two, welcoming Tex Lawrence Combs into the world on June 19, 2022 and Beau Lee Combs into the world on August 15, 2023.

While both Combs and his wife, Nicole Hocking, tend to keep their children out of the limelight, both Tex and Beau have served as inspiration for the country crooner’s forthcoming album nonetheless, writing 'The Man He Sees in Me' while he was on “dad duty” back in January.

The sound of 'The Man He Sees In Me' is reminiscent of what fans have grown to know and love from Luke Combs, featuring some acoustic noodling and his signature country cry, which intensifies in the chorus as he packs emotion into each and every lyric.

Given the fact that 'The Man He Sees In Me' has yet to be released, it's unclear what the final version of the song will sound like. As of right now, it's a stripped-down masterpiece that we seriously cannot stop listening to on TikTok.

"He's Spiderman in Walmart boots and a camouflage hat
With a baby blue Zebco that gets hung up every cast
He thinks he’s learning fishing from the man who taught Bill Dance
And I think as I untangle it and put it in his hands"

As a whole, 'The Man He Sees In Me' details how Combs is viewed by his two sons, opening the song by describing himself as “Spiderman in Walmart boots and a camouflage hat.”

In this verse, the 34-year-old sings about how his children view him as the most incredible individual on Earth, continuing this sweet message in the song's chorus.

"Well I hope he never finds out that I didn't hang the moon
And I've never scared a monster out the closet in his room
Some day between him leaving home and driving on my knee
Maybe I’ll finally be, the man he sees in me"

Combs wants to keep this childlike sense of wonder alive for as long as possible – seemingly in denial about his sons growing up and getting old (no pun intended) – hoping that his children will always believe that he hung the moon, scared monsters out their closets and more.

In the second half of the chorus, Combs accepts that things cannot stay this way forever, however, he wants to be the best father possible nonetheless. Because of this, he wishes that by the time his sons turn 18 years old and leave home, he will still be the incredible individual that he is viewed as as we speak, but for different reasons than hanging the moon and scaring monsters out their closets.

"Waves that blanket like the checkered flag pulling off at the interstate
With a Happy Meal cup held high like I won the big race
When we get home, his mind is blown when I untie his shoes
He smiles and says, 'Daddy, there ain't nothing you can't do'"

The second verse dives deeper into fatherhood for Combs, detailing the excitement that his children have when he comes home from work in the lines, “Waves that blanket like the checkered flag pulling off at the interstate / With a Happy Meal cup held high like I won the big race.”

Doing silly things to his sons as simple as untying their shoes, they believe that there is nothing their father can't do, reiterating this childlike sense of wonder in a different way.

To follow this oh-so sweet sentiment, Combs repeats the same chorus for a second time.

"I know he's gonna find out that I didn't hang the room
And there never was a monster in the closet of his room
Some day when he’s driving home with his son on his knee
I hope he’s tryna be, the man he sees in me"

The closing words of 'The Man He Sees In Me' shift the perspective of the song to one of his sons.

After accepting that the childlike sense of wonder mentioned throughout the track will undoubtedly go away, Combs hopes that his son will look back at his youth fondly, doing everything in his power to be an amazing father to his child, just as Combs was to him.

As mentioned, the North Carolina native has only teased 'The Man He Sees In Me' via social media, sharing an acoustic performance of the song, seemingly from his living room, via TikTok on January 14.

“What's up guys, Luke here. On dad duty again… You all said you liked dad songs, so I got a whole bunch of them lined up. I wrote this one with my buddy Josh Phillips, so I hope y’all like it,” he spilled, prior to strumming his guitar and singing the soon-to-be smash hit.

On March 13, Combs took it one step further, sharing a 51 second clip of the studio version of the song via TikTok once again, revealing the title of the tune by captioning the post, “Unreleased one called 'The Man He Sees in Me.' Is this heading in the right direction y’all?”

Naturally, his supporters took to the comment section of the post to express their enthusiasm.

“Come on Luke! Ys dads of young boys NEED this released,” one listener begged.

Another gushed, “Luke Combs with another incredible song. It's insane how good he and his team are at making songs.”

A third exclaimed, “This is perfection, everything you put out is perfection!”

While the country crooner has yet to perform the tune live for his fans, will 'The Man He Sees In Me' make its way into the setlist of his Growin' Up and Gettin' Old Tour?

We will just have to wait and see, but it is safe to say that attendees – as well as Luke Combs fans all across the globe – have their fingers crossed.

He's Spiderman in Walmart boots and a camouflage hat
With a baby blue Zebco that gets hung up every cast
He thinks he’s learning fishing from the man who taught Bill Dance
And I think as I untangle it and put it in his hands

Well I hope he never finds out that I didn't hang the moon
And I've never scared a monster out the closet in his room
Some day between him leaving home and driving on my knee
Maybe I’ll finally be, the man he sees in me

Waves that blanket like the checkered flag pulling off at the interstate
With a Happy Meal cup held high like I won the big race
When we get home, his mind is blown when I untie his shoes
He smiles and says, "Daddy, there ain't nothing you can't do"

Well I hope he never finds out that I didn't hang the moon
And I've never scared a monster out the closet of his room
Some day between him leaving home and driving on my knee
Maybe I'll finally be, the man he sees in me

I know he's gonna find out that I didn't hang the room
And there never was a monster in the closet of his room
Some day when he’s driving home with his son on his knee
I hope he’s tryna be, the man he sees in me

The man he sees in me

––

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