The Baby Needs A Father

# THE BABY NEEDS A FATHER (I DON'T NEED A MAN)

Mmm…

Let me tell you something

I had to learn the hard way…

I learned to build a fire when the nights got cold,

Learned to feed a little life when the world said no.

Put a roof above our heads, put the bread upon the shelf,

Had to learn to be somebody I could count on for myself.

I cried until the morning,

I prayed until I knew,

A woman can be broken

And still make something new.

So don't come talking 'bout a lonely little life,

Like a woman ain't a woman without somebody's wife.

The baby needs a father,

But I don't need a man.

I can hold this whole world steady

With these two working hands.

The baby needs a father,

Someone she can know,

But I don't need a man

To tell me I can grow.

If you come back, come honest.

If you come back, come true.

The baby needs a father,

But I don't need you

To make it through.

I imagine you standing at my garden gate,

With a thousand things to say and a little too late.

You might tell me that you miss us,

That you never meant to leave,

But I've learned the difference

Between a promise and a deed.

I won't confuse forgiveness

With the life we had before.

You may stand here as her father,

But you can't command this door.

You don't get to call it love

If you need me to forget.

If there's anything worth saving,

We haven't found it yet.

Look at her little fingers,

Look at her sleepy eyes.

She didn't ask for winter,

She didn't ask for lies.

She deserves to know your laughter,

All the stories you can tell.

She deserves a chance to know you

Without living through our hell.

And maybe one day she'll ask me

Why the garden froze that year.

I'll tell her love can hurt you,

But it mustn't make you disappear.

The baby needs a father,

But I don't need a man

To make a life worth living,

To become who I am.

If you love her, love her fully.

If you come, then understand:

You can be a part of this life,

But you don't own what I have planned.

I used to think forever

Meant I'd never stand alone.

Now I know a woman can make

A whole world of her own.

I can miss you in the morning,

I can dream of what we knew.

I can wish that things were different

Without giving up what's true.

I won't close the door on love,

But I won't beg it to remain.

If you want to know your daughter,

You must meet us where we stand.

The baby needs a father,

But I know who I am.

I survived the coldest winter

With these two working hands.

The baby needs a father,

And she deserves the truth.

But I will not lose myself again

Just to make a home for you.

If you come back, come honest.

Let your actions understand.

The baby needs a father,

But I don't need a man.

You will know the arms that hold you.

You will know the hands that care.

And you'll know your mama had a life

Before your daddy got here.

The baby needs a father…

Mmm…

But I know who I am.