Oh My Daughter

Your little shoes by the doorway Still haunt me in the night. Pink ribbons on the staircase, But I was never in sight. You used to wait by the window With hope I never saw. I was chasing empty glory While you were chasing a father. And I hear your silence louder Than any crowd I knew. All the money in the world Couldn't buy back you. Oh, my daughter. I wasn't there when you needed me. I was a shadow in your daylight. Blind to what I should have seen. Now I watch you choose a man, And I pray he treats you right. 'Cause I never showed you how A real man loves his child. You learned your worth from strangers, From boys that spoke too sweet. Looking for protection From hearts that couldn't keep. If I had held you closer, If I had fought your tears, Maybe you wouldn't question love all these broken Years. I see it now. You weren't difficult. You weren't distant. You were just hurt. And I was absent. Oh, my daughter, If I could turn back time, I'd trade every selfish moment For one more chance to be kind. I can't rewrite your childhood, But I'm begging on these knees. Forgive the man I used to be, And let your heart be free.