If I was your mom

Oh, precious boy. You walk so alone Blistering your feet 'til they're cut to the bone Oh, young man. You never seem to speak When you do your voice is always weak You once told me about grandad's charm His fun always involved some harm If I could go back and be there I would Stand in the place your mother stood I would never have let him spend months away I would've fetched you from school everyday You wouldn't have had to hide your cry And I wouldn't have let the garden die Oh, happy thing. You've found a place that's yours Candles and ink behind your doors In your nightstand you hid jelly beans for all the nights you'd have bad dreams But if I was your mother I would've made sure Wouldn't have forced you to endure isolation every night I would've held you close and tight Oh, sweet soul. You'd just figured out Yourself and what life's about I'm sorry he forced you all away I know how much you wanted to stay But then you would've found some other one and there wouldn't have been me or Matt or mum But I still think had I been there, I would've taken a bit more care I asked you where you're sister'd gone She'd left when things had gone too wrong You mention'd that when I laugh or speak, we both have bumps in our cheek So now in my face all you see, is your lost sister smiling through me I share her name and through me you've found closure for a friend who's no longer around And it's knowing all this, that made the fights so much worse They say it's just a dad daughter thing No ones words cut quite like yours do It a complicated thought I've fought But you're my glue and possibly the only man I'll ever say I love you to They say it's just a dad daughter thing Its leaving drawings beside my bed with a cup of tea Its how being skinny is the only way to make you proud of me They say it's just a dad daughter thing Its all my favourite music coming from you Its feeling more loved at 12 than at 22 Its sweets wrapped in the Sunday news. You read the papers of 2004 And I sit watching not needing anything more It's just a dad daughter thing Every time a man shouts, its your voice that I hear Every first bloom of Jasmine, it's your hand putting it behind my ear You gave me the book that read, "Some women aren't meant to be daughters And I'm not sure if you meant for me to read that but it cleaned me of my guilty waters There was a time when we forgot how to say the simple things And historical debate was the only way we could relate A 'How are you today?' lead to things that were too confusing for you at any rate You didn't have to understand women before me A wife is one thing but a daughter was a different entity But I misunderstood you too I misjudged how much you were willing to do How much you'd work to see me through And for that I will always defend you When I'd gone adrift you swam to my raft and pulled me ashore Healed my scars and said this is what fathers are for I'm so proud to be yours One minute bandaging the scratch over broken roller skates, the next waving goodbye at airport gates As your figure gets smaller and you mouth goodbye I turn away to finally cry You do the same once you've closed the car door This is what father's are for