If I Had a Daughter

If I had a daughter, I'd tell her that the first breath
of life is the easiest
From then on it takes years of practice
'Cause if you know how to keep air in your lungs
Then you'll survive when fate tackles you

Rubs your face in the Astroturf and grinds its cleats into your back
I'd tell her that it's better to be out there
On the field of life takin' hits and makin' touchdowns
Than bitchin' about the game in the bleachers

If I had a daughter, I'd teach her how to face life
And its peaks and valleys with grit, modesty, hope, compassion and love
I'd want her to accept herself

I'd want her to watch the stars instead of her weight
Love her body, feed her soul, dance with her curves
See those blue veins as a masterpiece
Howl at the moon instead of her hair and to live inside out

If I had a daughter, if I had a daughter

If I had a daughter, I'd teach her to hold
Her head high and strut through this world
As a more than instead of a less than

She'd trust her voice, speak her mind and seek the truth
'Cause if it talks like a duck and walks like a duck
Then yes, it might be a skunk

If I had a daughter, she'd know that gay or straight
Pin-striped or polka-dotted, tye-dyed or solid
Straight-laced or bent, she'd have my acceptance
And blessing in regards to whomever she gave her heart to

If I had a daughter, I'd give her a compass
So if she was lost she could find her way back to reality
And when her soul hit the low notes and her heart was a kick drum
I'd teach her how to turn it into song

If I had a daughter, if I had a daughter

If I had a daughter, I'd want her to be willing
To venture into the great unknown
But I'd make sure she had the blueprints to build her own universe

If I had a daughter, I would carry her with me
In every breath of every moment
I would wake with her name on my lips
And go to bed with her dreams in my heart if I had a daughter

If I had a daughter, if I had a daughter