That is extremely helpful. Right now the song is just the internal feelings of the writer. I wonder if a different opening verse could set the stage or whether I should completely rewrite.
The lyrics that occur to me to illustrate what I think you're saying is "Letters from Home," written by Tony Lane and David Lee for John Michael Montgomery. The opening verse could be from any parent to a son, but as the story unfolds it's clear exactly what's going on.
Thanks again for the suggestions - I'm going to think about what I can do to expand the story.
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