1)
My graduation from high school wasn’t what it should be
With my high grades, scholarships, and honors society
All it was to my father was opportunity to hurt me and my mom

He’d tried to stop her from coming but she came anyway
So bent on hurting her he left and took me away
I never got a chance to say goodbye or stay in touch with my classmates

Chorus:
I couldn’t win no matter what I tried
And those who said they’d help had only lied
And all the rivers of compassion dried, but I never cried

2)
My mom he’d thrown out years ago most selfishly
Now I was done with school and he was done with me
I was thrown out to fend for myself out on the streets without any support

I went to a friend, but feared for her so tried another
Her public housing said I could not stay with my mother
Lawyers, shelters, and social workers couldn’t bother – no one would help me

3)
I went to my church thinking someone there would surely help me
After all, I’d sung and read for them faithfully
Since age 14, and weren’t they the ones who taught me God’s love for the poor

But when I told them, they looked away or looked sharply at me
Said “Maybe you shouldn’t talk about that here” so cruelly
And that was all my support from this community that I’d given so much

4)
My high school friends had a party on the beach
I went to have some fun and to get some relief
I met a boy who’d been thrown only two weeks before me

He and his friends invited me out to a movie
I stayed the night, and learned music to soothe me to sleep
I tried to call my friends and tell them but they wouldn’t speak to me again

5)
In the midst of this, I was still thirsting for knowledge
I’d gotten scholarships to help me pay for college
But didn’t pay enough to cover all my costs or live through the summer

Too young for a lease also meant too young for living wage jobs
To pay the bill, I had to piece together 5 jobs
The lack of sleep caused seizures as I worked more hours per day than my age

6)
No bed, no room, and Mom’s old couch was too small and broken
I laid on a floor, on my back with my arms open
Got some small sleep when my body matched my emotions and felt crucified

But still some nights it was too hot and I just couldn’t sleep
No a/c, no fan, and frankly no relief
I’d lie there sweating and stressed ‘til time for work unless the music soothed me to sleep

7)
At work I got compared to another young woman
Who got thrown out because she got her belly swollen
But she still got a home with the grandmother of her child to be

I wasn’t pregnant, and my father didn’t know I’m gay
In 11 months he threw two more kids away
And never faced any consequences he just got away with everything