When my father pa**ed, I was forced to grow up fast I went from 8 to 18 in the blink of an eye, Every night I use to get on my knees, look to the sky and ask why? (Pause) Oh, Heavenly Father!!!(Pause) Today, I met Devin, he told me his father was alive but he never came to see him, He looked just like him, talked like him, but he never wants to be him, Yesterday I met Rell, same old tale, We both didn't have our parents at our show and tell, his father was in jail without bail, and facing 25 to life, On the news, he was accused of, taking another father's life, I am at the point in my life, When I start to ask how? How do we grow up to be men when our fathers are not around? How do we learn to take care of our responsibilities, When we had to learn about the birds and the bee's, from the radio and tv screens? Learn to drive a car, ride a bike, tie our shoes, From the internet and the news? The worse thing is, this is what we are use to, For every Lebron James, Jay-Z, Barack Obama, There are thousand's of Larry's, Tyrone's and Terry's, who never made it, Being raised by a single mother, They say growing up without a father, Can permanently alter, The structure of your brain and turn a young kid insane, So I guess that means, where I from, We are as crazy as they come, And the penitentiary has become, our sanitarium, So, Instead of medication they can just burry him, For life, Another father trapped inside, Another kid trapped outside, in the dark, With no band aid big enough to cover the hole in his heart, Even if it was made, There will always be a permanent scar, Covered by a tattoo that says "victim of the endless cycle", Then you looks around and every fatherless son looks just like you, That's enough to drive any teenage little baby, crazy, Enough to have me kneeling at the side of my bed, during holidays, When most kids my age. Begged, for a superhero action figure Instead, (Pause)Oh, Heavenly Father!!!(Pause) I am praying for a father figure. Amen,