Why do you have to go through the white bills that came in the mail, now?
The mailman just gave them to you the other day
They always make you huff and puff
If I were you, I'd throw them away

Now I see you putting on your glasses that make your eyes look funny
As you sit there and shuffle through them
Why are you rubbing your forehead, Daddy? I ask
Then brace myself for whatever's about to come

Turn off the light when you leave your room he says
And make sure the faucet is closed when you finish washing your hands
Is it about money again, Daddy?
If it helps, we can cancel our summer plans

Daddy, once young, now has gray hair
He used to pick me up and spin me around in circles
Now all he does is sit in his office room
Where he constantly writes numbers in his journal

I hand him my sixty-three cents I was saving for ice-cream
He smiles and gives me a kiss
Smiling Daddy, happy Daddy
That's the Daddy that I miss

Now I'm older and I understand more
My dad was such a mess
When I went to his soccer games, I thought he enjoyed playing
But I see now it was just a way for him to relieve stress

Now I'm older and I try to listen more
Bedtime means bedtime, no discussion at all
Can I play my game for 5 more minutes, Dad?
He storms at me, takes my phone, and throws it at the wall

Now I'm older and I'm bigger
I hurt him more than long ago
I'm sorry for everything I do, Daddy
I love you lots, don't you know?Now I'm older and I'm lazier
My sorries don't work like they used to
He wants the house clean before he comes home from work, he says
By the time he gets back I'm on Youtube

I'm so sorry, Dad, I say, I forgot
While he takes a plate out of the cupboard
He tells me to drop the plate on the floor, and I do
It shatters, the plate is smothered

Tell the plate you're sorry, he says
I stare at the floor, I don't get it
Sorry, I say to the shiny white shards
He says, your sorry didn't fix it

My mind is blown by a simple life lesson
Go to your room now, he quietly commands
A tear rolls down my cheek as I tread to my room upstairs
I slink to the corner and bury my face in my hands

I cry even harder as I think of my Daddy before
Before his bills came in like fan mail
He was so fun and he was so adventurous
On sunny days we would rent a boat and set sail

America the free, they say
But America costs money, too
And stress was all it gave to Daddy
It wasn't me, I wish he knew

You might not understand my words all that well
Or you may, but not know where I'm coming from
But I'll have you know the saddest people hide behind smiling masks
And the happiest may be that way because of a high income

Now don't get me wrong
Daddy loved getting a paycheck, he probably loved it more than me
It always put him in a good mood, something I couldn't do
I wish America was free