When I rearrange the pieces
of the puzzle of my past
I sigh at the heartaches
relive the laughs
And I think about
the moments that
have left their mark
And the too few faces
that shine a little light
in the dark
If you don't mind
I'm gonna
tell you a story
And I think that
it won't bore you
For it's a tale that
I've never told
To anyone before you
'cause it's for you
The sun of sixteen summers
had put halos
in your hair
If anything was
in my head twelve winters
put it there
A dollar an hour is
what Mama
paid you to come
and mind her kids
But no one could really
pay you enough for
what you really did
Many happy things
keep happening
On my journey
through this world
And in many ways that
I will never understand
I was much too late
To be the first
to make you a woman
But you were the one
Who made
my mother's son a man
You know I used
to read myself to sleep
when I went to bed
I guess I was a dreamer
then who lived
inside my head
But the nights that you
came you talked of things
I found I had a friend
You brought my fears
of people to a sure
and gentle end
Many happy things
keep happening
On my journey through
this world
And in many ways that
I will never understand
I was much too late
To be the first
to make you a woman
But you were the one
Who made my mother's
son a man
Do you remember the night
when you turned
out the light
And said to me
Please hold me
I did not know
which way to go
So I did just
what you told me
Please hold me
When I think about you
now it's not that
my memory fails
There's just no need
for graphic
telling of
all the details
Let's just say
you taught me something
that brought me
from my shell
You gave to me that
first sweet taste of
the heaven here
in this hell
Many happy things
keep happening
On my journey
through this world
And in many ways that
I will never understand
I was much too late
To be the first
to make you a woman
But you were the one
Who made my mother's
son a man