Nature vs. Nurture

Nature versus nurture
How do I know what’s true
What’s me, what’s you
Mother, maybe father
Which words are mine
Are you, am I

They crumbled right in front of me
Wasn’t ready to see
All of their humanity
I was too young to play
All of their grown up games
Played a pawn anyways

Weren’t you the ones who said
I had to get over it
I did my best, check my progress
I am an adult now
Black and white can’t hurt me how
It did back then, so back down

(Weren’t you both the ones who said
I had to get over it
Nature versus nurture
How can I know what is real
What’s true)

Mother, father
You are flawed and you can falter
I forgive you
Now I have perspective and can see you
I don’t have to hide from myself
From the parts that resemble you
Mother and father
Just follow suit, forgive each other

They crumbled right in front of me
I wasn’t ready to see
All of their humanity
I was too young to play
All of their grown up games
Played a pawn anyways

Weren’t you the ones who said
I had to get over it
I did my best, check my progress
I am an adult now
Black and white can’t hurt me how
It did back then, so back down
Back down
Back down

Years spent waiting
Just surviving
Til I could reach
Autonomy
Years spent waiting
(Years spent)
Just surviving
(Waiting, just survive)
Til I could reach
(Years spent waiting)
Autonomy
(Just surviving)
Alone, eighteen
(Years spent)
Angry, twenty
(waiting, just)
Forgiving, I’m twenty-three
(surviving, twenty-three)

They crumbled right in front of me
I wasn’t ready to see
All of their humanity
I was too young to play
All of their grown up games
Played a pawn anyways

Weren’t you the ones who said
(Nature)
I had to get over it
(Versus)
I did my best, check my progress
(Nurture versus)
I am an adult now
(Nature)
Black and white can’t hurt me how
(Versus)
It did back then, so back down
(Nurture versus)

I had to grow up too fast
You know those effects, they last
But I put it in the past
I had to grow up too fast
Then if I could do that
You can do this, it’s all I ask