The Man of the House

You say that I’m a hard man
I’ve become so hard to know
Well, I just like things quiet
I just like things slow
When Dad left us with nothing
Well I swore that I’d make good
I didn’t hurt anybody
You were just so sure I would

Mother, I haven’t called
Cause I know what you’d say
And you won’t change my mind
So don’t waste another night
Don’t waste your tears on mine
Mother, I’ll be fine

You should have seen how I first saw her
Should have seen the way we danced
The bar became a ballroom
The haze became a trance
She kissed me like a serpent
And squeezed til my heart broke open wide
She told me that she loved me
Guess that’s when she crawled inside

Mother, I haven’t called
Cause I know what you’d say
And you won’t change my mind
So don’t waste another night
Don’t waste your tears on mine
Mother, I’ll be fine

Cause a boy without a father
Has mighty shoes to fill
Becomes a husband to his Mother
And Daddy to himself

So as we talked about our futures
And the things we’d never had
We said our kids would have a safe home
And a loving Mom and Dad

So now I’m on my way to Memphis
Cause she’s got my baby girl
And I meant it when I said it
"No child of mine is going to live like us"

Mother, I haven’t called
Cause I know what you’d say
And you won’t change my mind
So don’t waste another night
Don’t waste your tears on mine
Mother, I’ll be fine