Once upon a time there was girl In her early years she had to learn How to grow up living in a war that she called home Never knew just where to turn for shelter from the storm It hurt me to see the pain cross my mother's face Everytime my father's fist would put her in her place Hearing all the yelling I would cry up in my room Hoping it would be over soon Chorus: Bruises fade father but the pain remains the same And I still remember how you kept me so afraid Strength is my mother for all the love she gave And every morning that I wake I look back at yesterday And I'm ok I often wonder why I carry all this guilt When it's you that helped me put up all these walls I've built Shadows stir at night through a crack in the door Echoes of a broken shild screaming please no more Daddy don't you understand the damage you have done For you it's just a memory but for me it lives on Bruises fade father but the pain remains the same And I still remember how you kept me so afraid The strength is my mother for all the love she gave Every morning that I pray I look back at yesterday Its not so easy to forget All the marks you left along her neck When I was thrown against cold stairs And everyday afraid to come home in fear of what I might see, next Chorus