I always thought he had no choice
That this was just the only voice
A man like him could ever know
A life of crime, a heart of stone

He told me love was just for fools
And weakness meant you broke the rules
So I believed what he became
Was just the price to bear the name

But he didn't have to be that way
Didn't have to throw it all away
He had a chance, he had a home
But chose to live this life alone
And all the hurt he left in me
Was just a choice he made, you see
He didn't have to break us down
He didn't have to be
Who he is now

I used to think that pain was proof
That being hard was being true
But now I see how wrong I was
'Cause love's the strongest thing there was

He never held me when I cried
Just sharpened words and colder lies
And though I tried to be enough
He only taught me to be tough

But he didn't have to scream and fight
Didn't have to teach me fear at night
Could've been someone to believe
Instead he left this wound in me
He had a heart, he let it die
He made his bed and chose that life
He didn't have to push me out
He didn't have to be
What he's become now

Maybe that's the saddest part
When you finally learn
He had the tools to be a dad
But let them burn

He didn't have to build a cage
Didn't have to pass down all that rage
He had a choice, he had a way
But left it all to rot away
And now I cry, not just for me
But for the son he'll never be
He didn't have to be this cruel
But he chose to be
And now I see

He didn't have to be
But he was
And I won't be