There was a time I was happy in my life There was a time I believed I'd live forever There was a time I prayed to Jesus Christ There was a time I had a mother It was nice Nobody else would ever take the place of you Nobody else could do the things that you could do No one else I guess could hurt me like you did I didn't understand, I was just a kid [Bridge:] Oh mother, why aren't you here with me No one else saw the things that you could see I'm trying hard to dry my tears Yes father, you know I'm not so free [Chorus:] I've got to give it up Find someone to love me I've got to let it go Find someone that I can care for I've got to give it up Find someone to love me I've got to let it go Find someone that I can care for There was a time I was happy in my life There was a time I believed I'd live forever There was a time I prayed to Jesus Christ There was a time I had a mother It was nice [bridge] [chorus] My mother died when I was five And all I did was sit and cry I cried and cried and cried all day Until the neighbors went away They couldn't take my loneliness I couldn't take their phoniness My father had to go to work I used to think he was a jerk I didn't know his heart was broken And not another word was spoken He became a shadow of The father I was dreaming of I made a vow that I would never need Another person ever Turned my heart into a cage A victim of a kind of rage I gotta give it up [repeat twice] [chorus] Find someone that I can care for Find someone that I can care for I've got to give it up [repeat five times] I've got to let it go I've got to give it up Oh mother, oh father I've got to give it up I gotta give it up [repeat six times]