The Brave Boy You Made

(Verse 1)

I was the first one to hold your hand, your only baby boy

In a house filled with sisters, I was your pride and joy

But I saw the shadows on the wall, the ones you tried to hide

Coming from old Puerto Rico, the only girl with nowhere to confide

You brought that strength across the sea, a heart of gold and grit

But you married a man with a hollow soul, and dreams that wouldn’t quit

He filled your head with promises, then drowned them in the glass

While you fought the silent battles, praying the nights would pass.

(Chorus)

Oh Ma, you were the anchor when the ocean pulled us down

The queen of a broken castle, still wearing a hidden crown

You were the mother and the father, the warrior and the friend

And though the road was crooked, I’m with you ‘til the end

From the island to the mainland, through the fire and the gray

It’s because of you, mother, that I am the man I am today.

(Verse 2)

I remember being nine years old, standing tall and small

Stepping right between the two of you, a shadow against the wall

He was yelling, he was drinking, but I wouldn’t let him through

Because even then, my only world was centered around you

Then came the day you’d had enough, you threw him out the door

With everything you had left, you didn’t want to fight no more

You took on every burden, the full-time job, the three of us

And in the middle of the struggle, I learned who I could trust.

(Bridge)

I know I wasn’t "number one," I know the girls took all your sight

You trusted I’d stay steady, while you kept us in the light

I felt the distance for a while, but the anger couldn’t last

A mother-son bond is stronger than the mistakes of the past

We danced upon my wedding day, a circle finally whole

And when you laid in that hospital bed, I gave you back my soul.

(Chorus)

Oh Ma, you were the anchor when the ocean pulled us down

The queen of a broken castle, still wearing a hidden crown

You were the mother and the father, the warrior and the friend

And though the road was crooked, I’m with you ‘til the end

From the island to the mainland, through the fire and the gray

It’s because of you, mother, that I am the man I am today.

(Outro)

So don’t you cry, my Ma, don’t let those teardrops fall

As long as I have air to breathe, I’ll answer every call

There’s a room inside my house for you, a place for you to stay

I’m still that brave nine-year-old boy, just a phone call away

I love you, Ma. Never doubt that.

Always.