I Confess

Haw
Oh yes! He has all the answers!
He's gonna set me straight
How can he presume to know what I've been through?
He hasn't got a clue!
But how could anyone
Unless they've had a son?
As perfect as a child could be
The best of all the best in me
My brush with immortality
My kid
For sixteen winters and fifteen springs
I had a son, and still it stings
When I remember all the things
We did
Me and my kid
Simple things like fishing at the lake
Tip-toeing out before dawn
Bobby would worry
If we didn't hurry
All of the fish would be gone
We would sit and huddle in the boat
Waiting for something to bite
And I'd watch the sunrise
In my own son's eyes
And the world would fill up with light
And Bobby would ask a million questions:
"Daddy? How many is the biggest number?" or "Daddy, why do I have a thumb?"
And I confess
I didn't always have the answers
I didn't always know which way was true
Nevertheless
I always tried to lead with love
That's all that any father can do
As the years went by we had our diff'rences
(But then, who doesn't?)
Even if the friendship wasn't all it was before
We shared a lot
And who'd have thought that so much joy
Could vanish in a blink?
Who ever stops to think?
And in that final moment
Who knows what went wrong?
The questions come too late
And linger far too long and
I confess
I don't always have the answers
I don't always know which way is true
Nevertheless
I've always tried to lead with love
It's all that any father can do
And then look! Look! What do I do?!
This boy comes to me
This fatherless child
I scoff at his pain and I send him away!
My daughter speaks up
And I shout her down
I won't hear a word of what she has to say!
My wife reaches out
And I turn my back
I send her to bed without even a kiss!
Can my God forgive
The things I have done
While I've tried forgetting how much I'm still
Missing my son?

I'm tired of feeling nothing but numb
Maybe the time has come
To finally let the world in
But how do I begin?
Give me strength and maybe then
I can reach my fellow men
So we all may rise again
(He stands before his congregation)
I confess
I don't always have the answers
I don't always know which way is true
Nevertheless
I've always tried to lead with love
Please, join me in asking our Lord to guide
And protect our children