Because I Said So

Spoken Intro This is for the ones who grew up drinking from the garden hose. The ones who left at sunrise and didn't come back 'til the streetlights flickered on. We didn't have a safety net, and we didn't have a say. "Because I said so" was the law of the land... and respect wasn't something you negotiated. It was a different world back then... but it made us who we are today. Verse 1 Screen door slamming, running wild in the heat No cell phones ‘round to pick a place to meet Get gone all day, back when the streetlights show Pedaling every street that Huffy would go Shut that door, we ain’t cooling the block Better listen to Mama ‘fore your world gets rocked We rolled our eyes, thought we knew it all Did not know back then all the truth we were taught Chorus Because I said so… yeah, that was law back then Because I said so… no debates, no why, no when When all your friends jump, are you jumping too? Better shut that mouth and do what I told you to do We are not made of money, every time we would ask Better fix your face, when we talked back fast Didn't make sense then, but it does right now Yeah, we hated those words, but we’re living them out Verse 2 Kitchen table talks with a hard truth sting Eat what’s on your plate, don't you waste a thing Watch your mouth, ‘fore you feel that slap I am not one of your friends, don’t talk to me like that If you’re bored, I got chores, and they meant every word Silence louder than anything we ever heard "I’ll give you something to cry about"... cut deep Now I hear that echo when my own kids speak Chorus Because I said so… yeah, that was law back then Because I said so… no debates, no why, no when When all your friends jump, are you jumping too? Better shut that mouth and do what I told you to do We are not made of money, every time we would ask Better fix your face, when we talked back fast Did not make sense then, but it does right now Yeah, we hated those words, but we’re living them out Verse 3 Now I see it clear with the years behind All that "No" was love we didn't recognize You gave everything, even when it was tight Did not say it much, but you raised us right All those long days, all those sleepless nights All those little wrongs that you made us fight Yeah, we pushed back, but you held that ground Now I stand here proud ‘cause you did not back down They were not just rules, they were armor and scars Those late-night worries, fighting unseen wars Every slammed door, every "Don’t you dare" Was somebody fighting just to keep us there Now I say those words, and I finally see They were not holding me back... they were loving me Chorus Because I said so… now I understand Because I said so… was a loving hand When all your friends jump, are you jumping too? Better shut that mouth and do what I told you to do We weren’t made of money, but we’re rich in grit Every hard "No" had a love in it Did not make sense then, but it does right now Yeah, we hated those words, but we’re living them out Spoken Outro Funny how life works. You spend twenty years trying to outrun those words, and the next twenty realizing they were the best thing that ever happened to you. They weren't just being mean... they were being parents. They prepared us for a world that doesn't care about your feelings. Thanks for the No, mom. Thanks for the "Because I said so,dad. I finally get it.