Never Called by Its Right Name

She had a mother’s hands, tucked me in every night

At the end of the day, I know that she tried

But her heart was as tight as a flower before it blooms

She wanted to love me but there wasn’t any room

So what do you do when the one who’s supposed to love you

Doesn’t love you in a way that you can feel?

What do you do when the one who’s supposed to hold you

Is holding onto a hurt that just won’t heal?

In the golden hour light I would ride my bike home

With the wind in my face and a dread in my bones

Supper would grow cold as she drank herself away

Her body was there, but she was gone for the day

What do you do when the one who’s supposed to love you

Doesn’t love you in a way that you can feel?

What do you do when the one who’s supposed to hold you

Is holding onto onto a hurt that just won’t heal?

Her laugh, when it came, was like a cool drink of water

She would throw her head back when the moment, it caught her

And I could see, in her eyes, a light beyond the pain

That was given to us all, but never called by its right name

Never called by its right name