A Family Thing

by Jim Abbott

Oh my son
My precious young one
I feel so utterly helpless
If only I could lift from your tiny shoulders
This cross that you must carry
But alas, I can't
And for that I am so very, very sorry
Every night on my knees I ask
Will you, must you
Always be trapped?
Trapped in a world of tangled tongues
Isn't there anything that can possibly be done
With all of the wonders of modern science
How is it that never have they found a cure?
Some pill, some potion, some magic elixir
Something, anything
To help end your pain
You know, sometimes I can't help but wonder
If I am somehow to blame

Oh my son
My precious young one
I am told that perhaps
There is a slight chance
That this is something you might some day outgrow
How I hope that this is so
I pray that it will come to be
I pray that one day you'll awaken and be free
Freed from this burden you've been forced to bear
It just that it seems so damn unfair
You're so young and so innocent
And I feel so utterly helpless

Oh my son
My precious young one
I see the look on your face as you struggle in vain
Valiantly trying to say your own name
I see the tears welling up in the corner of your eyes
And I just wonder
If ever have you noticed mine
I know
Lord knows I know
How much this hurts you
But I doubt if you'll ever realize
Just how much it hurts me to
I'm your father, you are my son
It's my job to protect you
I'm supposed to be the one
The one who helps you and guides you
Thru life's trying times
But in this
I feel so utterly helpless
For no answers can I find

Oh my son
My precious young one
Late at night, before I shut my eyes
Alone in your room I can hear your anguished cries
And yes, I also hear
When, thru all of your tears
You ask of God why
Why it is that you can't talk
And each time
It just tears me up inside
Sleep does eventually come, but I can get no rest
I feel so utterly helpless

Oh my son
My precious young one
I have no way of knowing
Just what the future might bring
Perhaps, maybe some day
There'll be an end to your stuttering
But if that day never comes
This I swear to you my son
As God is my witness
I promise and I vow
That together, you and I
Will make it thru somehow
That together you and I
The two of us
Will find some way to survive