I said goodbye to my Dad for the last time today
He was much colder than usual
We carried him out, then they drove him away
So I suppose that now makes it official

I looked at my brother, he looked at me
Understanding passed wordlessly
I held my brother, he held on to me
Our sorrow and anger are finally free

A lifetime of sermons, they don't mean a thing
When contrary actions are shown
As children we learned how to be who we are
By watching our parents perform

My own are in bed by the time I get home
I sneak up to whisper "goodnite"
I open their door and my shadow is thrown
The darkness has taken my sight

My eyes adjust. Can it still be?
The ghosts of the past are visiting me
There in their beds, who do I see?
Superimposed, my brother and me

A lifetime of lessons, they don't mean a thing
If I keep my heart up on a shelf
As children they learn how to love who they are
By watching how I love myself

I am to them what he was to me
Can the apple fall too far from the tree?
How shall I have them remember me?
What kind of father do I choose to be