Once I was seven years old

My father told me, I′ll never leave again

You won't be lonelyOnce I was seven years old

I was a kid, I was seven

Never knew you or knew where you would be

What was the pen, too innocent?

Nothing you said was making any sense

I was like damn, who is this man?

Standing before me saying take a chance

Suddenly everything I thought I knew about the world

Was taken when I shis hand

I was so mad, didn′t know why

Why was my name all tatted on your side?

Why did you mess with the bliss over me and my sister

We're cool without you, doin' fine

We came around, you came around

Told us you would never ever leave

Heart on my sleeve, letting it bleed

Waiting for you again, cause I believe

Once I was eleven years old

My momma told me, I won′t do this again

Need you to go please

Once I was eleven years old

I wasn′t there, I didn't care

Moving around a lot and couldn′t bare

Everyone wanted to fix it and took me away

From my sister to live on a prayer

Breaking the law, getting expelled

Didn't believe in nothing, you could tell

Wanted to fail, gunnin′ for jail

Wanted to kill my father in a cell

I was a mess, that I confess

Too young to bottle this up in my chest

Too young to do what I was doing

Who knew that I would've been a little bit depressed

Got into blow, got into dope

Made an investment with nothing to show

It was the only thing I had control over

And it was all over whenever it go

Once I was twenty years old

My father wrote me

Son, I′m sorry that you never got to know me

Once I was twenty years old

I didn't know then, and I don't know know

Why it was hard for me to write it down

Why it was easier to say out loud

And whenever I try to write I feel a cloud

Sooner or later I gave it up

One way or another, can′t say enough

When I met my brother and told him

I wanted to hear from you, that was a major bluff

I was right in the middle of using, abusing and losing myself

I knew not of sobriety

I wasn′t ready to meet him

I didn't feel like I could be a role model entirely

But inside of me I was like, damn I relate

And I thought I could be of some help

And it didn′t dawn on me

I couldn't be somebody′s light if I don't love myself

But soon I′ll be sixty years old

And will I still hold on

To everything that happened and be so cold?

Soon I'll be sixty years old

Soon I'll be sixty years old