The mother in me

I was born your daughter, but that line got blurred

Life handed me the weight, you forgot the words

Seventeen and holding you, when you’d fall down

Mama, I was the one who stuck around

That bottle slips, and so do you

Heartbreak hits like it always do

You say it’s love, but I’ve seen it take

Every piece of you that I can’t remake

I rock you when you cry, like a child in the night

Rub circles on your back, say it’ll be all right

You fade away, chasing broken dreams

While I fill the fridge and hold the seams

I hide the bottles, hold your pain

Tell you it’s okay when I’m going insane

I’m the child, but it’s plain to see

I’ve been raising the woman who raised me

You forget the meals, forget their names

The other kids walk by in shame

I tuck your guilt in, deep and tight

So you can sleep through one more night

I rock you when you cry, like a child in the night

Rub circles on your back, say it’ll be all right

You fade away, chasing broken dreams

While I fill the fridge and hold the seams

I hide the bottles, hold your pain

Tell you it’s okay when I’m going insane

I’m the child, but it’s plain to see

I’ve been raising the woman who raised me

You chose him every time—left us cold

Even when I begged you, even when I broke

Now I check the locks, I pay the dues

For the sins you swore you’d never do

I rock you when you cry, like a child in the night

Rub circles on your back, say it’ll be all right

Still wonder who I might’ve been

If I wasn’t mothering you back then

But I hide the bottles, hold your pain

Tell you it’s okay when nothing’s changed

I’m the child, but it’s plain to see…

God help me—

I’ve been raising the woman who raised me