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