So we start with my father as a boy 
 Barely spoke a word of English
 Fell in love from a distance
 He watched her working from the back fence
 
 He learned some words 
 And some clever turns of phrase 
 From his father’s book of poets
 She wasn’t taken in that instant
 But grew impressed with his persistence
 
 They met each other out by moonlight
 Made love in the nearby woods
 Then the folks became suspicious
 When her cycle broken so young (?)
 
 They stole away without their goodbyes
 Got married in a foreign town
 Made their way as best as they could
 Found jobs and settled down
 
 And then time moved on
 
 I was born in a river of blood
 On sheets from the wedding day
 The room was dark and the stench was thick
 My father couldn’t stand the smell of it
 
 Mama died in the night cos the nearest 
 Doctor couldn’t stem the blood loss
 Father cried out on the back porch
 My sister held me at the neighbor’s house
 
 Oh my, there was a storm then
 It was a flood of a different kind
 Father’s eyes were often vacant
 But his hands were rarely quiet
 Sister learned to take her hits well
 Both from life and the physical kind
 But I was never one to lie down
 Despite who picked the fight
 
 So we designed our hells
 
 Father turned into a drinker
 A dark bastard with a wooden heart
 Sister learned to be a mother
 Before she’d ever played another part
 And I became a little terror
 I lashed out at whatever’s around
 Took some time before I settled
 And found a mind that was somewhat sound
 
 And as it always does
 Time rushed on
 
 Six years later father died in the very same bedroom
 Many said it was the grief that did it
 I have to say it’s cos he hung himself
 To be honest neither sister or myself
 Ever much regret his passin’
 But I admit it was a nice thing
 To always know that we could feed ourselves