Family Tree

Every woman in my family has
Lost a child, lost a baby
And every man: a brother, daughter, or a son
I'm only twenty
But I know the way
The world can string you up
Like a mobile
Twisting, fading in the sun
It's the things you don't discuss
At your hushed Thanksgiving tables that
Pull you close
That make you fully one
Every family has their secrets
Has their heartache and their reasons
For their silence
So as not to come undone

La, la, la, la, la
La, la, la, la, la, la, la
La, la, la, la, la, la, la
La, la, la, la, la
La, la, la, la, la, la, la
La, la, la

And they hold close to their lies
To their debts and their despise
Scrawl their names over stolen lullabies
Was it the drugs? Or the drink?
Or the money you let sink
Into the cards in the middle of the night?
You crowd in one bedroom apartments
Work three jobs
You're just exhausted
And you're still just
Barely scraping by
Sometimes you wonder if they're heartless
Or just damaged past the point of
Anything you could ever recognize

La, la, la, la, la
La, la, la, la, la, la, la
La, la, la, la, la, la, la
La, la, la, la, la
La, la, la, la, la, la, la
La, la, la

Every woman in my family
Had to grow up much too quickly
And every man has been
Right there by her side
Someone mentioned it over dinner
And in their eyes you could see flicker
The hurt of several lifetimes
Every family has their secrets
Has their heartache and their reasons
Even when the silence eats them up
Inside

La, la, la, la, la
La, la, la, la, la, la, la
La, la, la, la, la, la, la
La, la, la, la, la
La, la, la, la, la, la, la
La, la, la