The Last To Say

(album: The Family Sign - 2011)

As far back as he cares to remember
He used to see his old man lose the temper
And mama's pretty face would catch it all
On a regular basis the nest would fall
But he was always safe from dad's rage
Cause mama sacrificed in his place
Two-dozen years of the blood, sweat, tears
Avoid the mirror, losing her hair from the fear

She never left him, she stayed inside
He beat her ass up until the day that he died
In fact, the biggest beating was the day that he died
Cause now it's too late for her to make a new life
She gets to mourn for the touch of a punch
Won't ever admit that she ain't clutchin it much
Someday she'll die, it still won't be done
The anger lives on through their son

Cause he saw, he caught it all
A childhood of watching ma and pa get raw
It's too bad for him, nah, that's half the truth
Cause you back with him now and he's smackin you
What happened to you? You don't have a clue
Did your mama used to suffer accidents too?
I never knew that you would stand for abuse
I guess I just assumed that you would pack up and move

Think about when you left him last time
Said out loud that you would never forgive past crimes
Sunglasses, so dark, scarf around the neck to cover the choke marks
And since you gotta justify returning
You convinced yourself that he's just a hurt person
You wanna blame that cross he bears
But his pop's not there when he tosses you down stairs

Let me be the last to say
Please don't stay
Let me be the last to say
You won't be okay

Please put your shoes on and step into that warm weather
Go get yourself a more better forever
Gotta put it down, you gotta leave it
And don't ever come back again, you gotta mean it
Just tear it all apart and build new
Cause if you don't kill him, he's gonna kill you
You can't hold hands when they make fists
And I ain't the first to say this

But let me be the last to say
Please don't stay
Let me be the last to say
You won't be okay
Let me be the last to say
Please don't stay