father of mine

tell me where have you been

you know i just closed my eyes

my whole world disappeared

father of mine

take me back to the day

when i was still your golden boy

back before you went away



i remember blue skies

walking the block

i loved it when you held me high

i loved to hear you talk

you would take me to the movie

you would take me to the beach

you would take me to a place inside

that is so hard to reach



father of mine

tell me where did you go

you had the world inside your hand

but you did not seem to know

father of mine

tell me what do you see

when you look back at your wasted life

and you don't see me



i was ten years ole

doing all that i could

it wasn't easy for me

to be a scared white boy

in a black neighborhood

sometimes you would send me a birthday card

with a five dollar bill

i never understood you then

and i guess i never will



daddy gave me a name

my dad he gave me a name

then he walked away

daddy gave me a name

then he walked away

my dad he gave me a name



father of mine

tell me where have you been

i just closed my eyes

and the world disappeared

father of mine

tell me how do you sleep

with the children you abandoned

and the wife i saw you beat



i will never be safe

i will never be sane

i will always be weird inside

i will always be lame

now i'm a grown man

with a child of my own

and i swear that i'm not going to let her know

all the pain i have known



then he walked away

daddy gave me a name

then he walked away

my dad he gave me a name

then he walked away

daddy gave me a name

then he walked away

my dad he gave me a name



then he walked away