I’m grateful for the time I got,
Lord knows I never thought I’d amount to a lot,
But I’m happy, with what I’ve achieved given that I never even thought I’d get a shot,
And all those misspent days of youth,
Where I burnt the candle at both ends and in the middle,
 Mean that it’s no riddle why I am the way am, that’s just the truth,
And if I needed proof I’d see my Doctor,
Or ask anyone that knew me then if they expected me to still be alive?
If I’d survive all the sex and the drinking,
I don’t know what I was thinking? 
I wasn’t thinking,
Just trying to fill a void, trying to numb the pain I was feeling,
See, I wanted love and comfort and there absence was revealing.
But it’s only now I’m older and look through different eyes,
That I can see it,
I see a carefree child and I want to be it,
I had to grow up fast ‘cos my parents were not much more than kids themselves,
And in those days if you got a girl pregnant you did not leave her on the shelf,
The truth is I was a mistake and I knew it,
Even though they told me a well meant lie, I could see through it,
And when you realise that your parents are lying about that at six, it makes you question everything,
And the fact that it’s done with good intention makes it more difficult if anything,
Because if those you love can justify a lie to save your feelings,
What else will their kindness stop them from revealing?
I mean don’t get me wrong they loved me,
My Mother, to this day would put no-one else above me,
But I didn’t know that then.
But I could see, there were those much worse off than me,
And I felt for them,
Because I carried the burden of, “clear sight,” much too young,
And it was wrong.
The first time I got really drunk, I was four,
“Minesweeping,” Christmas party drinks from the floor,
I unwrapped my gifts that year with a hangover,
Gagging on Christmas chocolate as my stomach turned over,
And my parents did their best to help me through it,
And none of us were too sure what made me do it,
But see, even then,
I was trying to fill a void, trying to numb the pain I was feeling,
See, I wanted love and comfort and their absence was revealing,
So I learned young that drinking was a thing I could rely on,
A comfort blanket, a warm coat that I could try on,
And I liked it, the fact it made me numb,
And that I could succumb to its warm arms,
And its temporary charms, it healed me,
And broke me, and choked me with its sweet and sickly breath,
And I didn’t care that I was tempting death ‘cos it healed me.
And what followed was years of smoky bars and unhooked bras,
As me and a stream of girls used each other for our mutual gratification,
And we understood where we stood without much conversation,
And with empty glasses and empty hearts we would touch each other,
Knowing we could never expect too much of each other,
And as soon as we started to smother each other,
We moved on.
And the drinking and the years of endless, “Love,”
Left me thinking, how pointless it all was,
And how not one drop or empty touch,
Added up to much,
And what I needed was so much more than empty glasses and empty lust,
But someone I could trust.
And there she was, appearing as if she knew,
What I was going through had led me to the brink of falling through,
And down the cracks in the pavement.
And what she had in mind was a different arrangement, it was love,
Given unconditionally with no requirement of,
Me giving any back,
She’d got my back, led me down the right track,
And it saved me,
And allowed me to face the world bravely, with hope,
No more sliding down that slippery slope,
I could climb now,
And stand side by side with those who take pride in their lives now,
And we made our vows in church and she was my wife now,
And years on and living a different life now,
We’ve stood side by side through all the battles and said our goodbyes to those who’ve gone now,
And our children can see our history has made us strong now,
But still human,
And that’s the thing that they really appreciate,
‘Cos we never pretended that the world was great,
Never told them that they’re guaranteed to achieve their, “Dream,”
Or that there weren’t times that life would treat them mean,
But one thing they should always know no matter how it goes, is that they’re loved,
Loved in a way they could never question,
Loved without limits or even the slightest suggestion,
Of anything less,
Loved fiercely,
And that we would never fear to wholeheartedly express,
That love that saves us all from bleak abyss, and gives us hope,
‘Cos we love fiercely.