In the fights they had he'd cover up his ears
Thought big boys don't cry, fought back all the tears
Mama'd use her make up, to hide the bruises on his face
In the morning they'd pretend that there'd never ever been a trace
His old man woke him up to help him find the car
Take the bus uptown outside some rundown bar
He swore that he was quitting
And then he'd start to cry
And though the boy knew the truth
Sometimes he'd still believe that lie

When the sins of the father are the sins of the son
All you do is crawl when you wanna run
And God gave boys their mama's cause
They always see their promise
And they help them understand
How to walk like a man
Walk like a man

They moved a lot of places, they never settled down
It got pretty old being the new kid in town
He'd always tell his friends, my daddy's sick today
Said he'd be rich if he had a nickel every time he heard his mama say

The sins of the father are the sins of the son
Crawl before you walk, boy
Walk before you run
Come on, stand up straight, I'm proud of you
Take my hand
I know you can
Walk like a man
Walk like a man

Your daddy's demons are calling your name
Don't you listen to them 'cause they've got no claim
Temptations may come, that ain't no sin
You get stronger every time that you don't give in

The sins of the father are the sins of the son
You can't undo what has been done
You'll have to retrace his footsteps
Through the sand
And pray you find the love of a girl
Take her by the hand
And walk on
Walk like a man