Once upon a time there was a girl
In her early years she had to learn
How to grow up living in a war that she called home
Never knew just where to turn for shelter from the storm
It hurt me to see the pain across my mother's face
Everytime my father's fist would put her in her place
Hearing all the yelling I would cry up in my room
Hoping it would be over soon

Bruises fade father, but the pain remains the same
And I still remember how you kept me so afraid
Strength is my mother for all the love she gave
And every morning that I wake I look back at yesterday
And I'm OK

I often wonder why I've carried all this guilt
When it's you that helped me put up all these walls I've built
Shadows stir at night through a crack in the door
The echo of a broken child screaming "please no more"
Daddy, don't you understand the damage you have done
For you it's just a memory, but for me it still lives on

Bruises fade father, but the pain remains the same
And I still remember how you kept me so, so afraid
Strength is my mother for all the love she gave
Every morning that I wake I look back at yesterday

It's not so easy to forget
All the marks you left along her neck
When I was thrown against cold stairs
And every day afraid to come home
In fear of what I might see next

Bruises fade father but the pain remains the same (same)
And I still remember how you kept me so afraid
Strength is my mother for all the love you gave
Every morning that I wake I look back at yesterday
And I'm OK