Tough for You

I bit through my top lip when I was a kid
And a ball of scar’s still there
And I remember so clearly the blood everywhere
A quivering chin and a single tear
I wanted to be tough for you

I was planning to be changed the darkest day of the year
As we parked near the Christian thrift store
The smell of the downtown feed mill, the popcorn and the rain
I wanted to bow out, hesitate some more
But I wanted to be tough for you

Watching the prairies from the yellow head highway
Scraping the frost from the glass
My head filled with a puddle, my heart sank like a stone
I couldn’t bear a thing, I needed to go home
But I wanted to be tough for you

My silence feels like a victory
But a tenderness is inside of me
Some program bestowed upon me that I want to be tough for you
I want to be tough for you
Tough for you
Tough for you
Tough for you
Tough for you