you think it’s okay to do this?
to manipulate and lie
when really you’re just a phony
and a sorry excuse for a life
why am I the one who constantly gets hurt?
why am I living in despair?

I hate everything about you
the way that you move
the way that you speak
the way your lies slither onto my lips
the way your hands love scalding my body like burning water
but there's nothing I can do but stand

stand there and take your hits like a child being bullied, with their friends just watching in the corner
stand there and listen to your words that prick my skin
making my hands bleed all over
why do you do this
why can’t I leave

you hit me
yet all I can do is cry
causing you to get stronger
and feed off of my agony
Because you love my sorrow
you love the scared look in my eyes

why are you like this?
who hurt you so bad to make you think that it’s okay to hurt me or any woman at all?
What did they do?
what is your background?
where do you come from?

You watched your father hit your mother?
did that not want to make you become a better man?
instead you’d rather just stoop to his level of lowness and hit a woman

you say she hit you first?
doesn’t matter
you need to be a man
walk away when you’ve had enough

you say she shouldn’t hit you?
you’re right
but also
being a woman I know
I know that a woman won’t touch a man with intentions of harm unless his lips spoke words that stabbed her heart
I know most won’t touch him unless his actions caused it

ladies we need to take a stand
we need to teach our daughters the difference between a man who flatters her and a man who compliments her
a man who spends money on her and a man who invest in her
a man who views her as property and a man who views her properly
a man who lust over her and a man who loves her
a man who believes he's a gift to woman and a man who believes she is a gift to him
and ladies, we need to teach our sons to be that man

Ladies, we need to stop taking the hit
leave when we’ve had enough
be the man since they won’t be
to show our kids that it’s not okay
to show them what love really is
so history doesn’t repeat
because trust me
they look up to you
they watch for your guidance
be the hero they need you to be
be a man