I tracked you down and sought you out
Bending corners
Building bridges
But it wasn't love or shrimp I’m makin
It was the boy that I was fixin’
Listen,
Overlooking vistas
Climbed my highest
Ran my fastest
Just to watch out for you
You know I’d never leave you, son
But in case one day I do
I will summon water up from hydrants
Just to cool you down
Stretch my arms over every fissure
That swallows up our ground
Every summer when the rain has stopped
I will you take you fishing
No, I’m not your lover
Just your father
At least that's how I’ve fixed it
Right foot, left foot
Right hook, left hook
This is how you drive a car
This is how you sell a key
This is how you save yourself
Then come back & rescue me
This is how we gon’ get free
Do this this everyday of everyday
Even if the way is nowhere
Make a way out no ways
I tracked you down
Cleaned you up
Scrubbing tiles, shedding grout
Churning bleach to butter
Is how you get the hard stains out
Cleaning all the marks off
That your mom forget about
I don't think she is lazy
I know she just works too much
No, in fact for jobs like this
What you need’s a father’s touch
I tell you make it thorough,
use your elbows
Cause we haven’t got all day
The moon will come collect her rent
When the sun outlasts his stay
And when the night is pale
And the freaks are out
I will lay you down to sleep
I will place your dreams in my backpocket
Assured for long safe keep
And in the morning
I will wake you up to mango juice & jam on rye
Maybe today it’s how to shave
Perhaps it’s how to tie a tie
Maybe today I'll place my too-large shoe boats
On your two too, too small feet
Hook the bait
Seal my fate and cast you out to sea
Tie you to the mast
And then teach you how to scream
Yell out “Son, this is how you save yourself
then come back and rescue me”
This will teach you to maintain
This will teach you to move on
This will teach how you to float yourself
When this big boat gets gone
This is how to play trombone
This is how to be alone
When you run out of things to eat this is how to get along
And this is everyday of everyday
I will give you what I am
But I can only show you what I am
Never how to be a man
Still I will do this everyday of everyday
With all the man I am
So when the time comes that you must and will,
Surely, son you can.