A Hard And Demanding Man

My father was a hard and demanding man
Though he did not think of himself as such.

He was there for all my childhood failures
His gestures made hollow by the sadness in his eyes
He always acted as if he had come up from nothing
Although I know he had been given much more than he managed to retain.

And for years and years I do believe
That he did hold it against me
That on the day when I finally left his house
That on that day I said to him:

“I'm not like you dad - I'm clumsy and weak
I'm not like you dad
I'm not like you dad - I'm clumsy and weak
I'm not like you dad”.

As he got older and his drinking took its toll
I went down to the hospital.
We sat together in silence
Finally, he said to me:

“My father was a hard and demanding man
But he always did his best by me.
I am truly sorry
That I could not do the same for you”.

“I'm not like my dad - I'm clumsy and weak
I'm not like my dad
I'm not like my dad - I'm clumsy and weak
I'm not like my dad”.

My father was a hard and demanding man
I'm not like my dad
My father was a hard and demanding man
I'm not like my dad