The Man Who Dares
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THE STORY
Nearly forty years ago, when my late wife Karen and I were first dating, she gave me a plaque containing a poem titled “The Man Who Dares.”
She saw something in me then—someone willing to take chances, pursue difficult goals, and keep moving forward even when success was far from guaranteed. I kept that plaque throughout our life together, often displayed beside my bed or near my desk where I could see it every day.
Over the years, its meaning grew. It followed me through marriage, raising a family, career changes, difficult decisions, failures, new beginnings, and all the unexpected turns that became our life together.
After Karen passed away, the plaque took on an even deeper meaning. It became more than an encouraging gift from the woman I loved. It became a reminder of the man she believed I was—and the man I still strive to be.
That is where this song came from.
“The Man Who Dares” is not about being fearless or always succeeding. It is about being willing to try, knowing you might fail. It is about getting back up, continuing forward, and refusing to let fear or uncertainty decide what comes next.
Almost forty years after Karen gave me that plaque, I turned her gift—and what it has meant throughout my life—into a song.
There’s a plaque by my bed
So I see it every morn
The gift she once gave to me
Back when our love was born
I read every line it spoke
And lived it every day
’Cause this was what she saw in me
And I chose to live that way
Be the man who keeps on trying
Give your best when it gets tough
Know when you must change course
When the road ahead gets rough
Leave it better than you found it
Stand your ground when it counts
This is who I strive to be
That’s the man who dares
I’ve been down roads that didn’t end
The way I thought they would
Had to turn and start again
When standing still I could
More than once I leaned on it
When I didn’t have a plan
Not just something on the wall
But something that could stand
Be the man who keeps on trying
Give your best when it gets tough
Know when you must change course
When the road ahead gets rough
Leave it better than you found it
Stand your ground when it counts
This is who I strive to be
That’s the man who dares
She didn’t have to say much more
It was there in how she looked at me
In the words she left behind
And the man she thought I’d be
It wasn’t just words to say
It became my creed
And I’ve been trying ever since
To be that kind of man……………
Be the man who keeps on trying
Give your best when it gets tough
Know when you must change course
When the road ahead gets rough
Leave it better than you found it
Stand your ground when it counts
This is who I’m proud to be
That’s the man who dares