A man in progress - What we carry forward

A song about fatherhood and what we bring from our own childhood to our present life. Something i would tell my younger self if i could. Lyrics: I was a boy with a world to explore, A song in my head, always wanting more. Good friends beside me, a place to belong, Even when the world felt a little bit wrong. I struggled in things that came easy to them, Tried to find my place, tried to fit in. There was love in our home, but the walls could shake, And I learned too young what a child shouldn't take. I tried to keep the peace, tried to make things right, Standing in the middle of another long night. I was only a child, but somehow I knew There were things in this world I couldn't undo. You'll get through this, even if you can't see how, Even if the world is falling down around you now. Some things aren't yours to mend, some wounds take time, Some answers only come when you leave them behind. I can't change the past, can't rewrite what's gone, But I can choose what I carry on. I'll keep the love, let the hurt fall away, And become the man I needed back in those days. I saw a man with a heart he couldn't show, A thousand things he never let us know. "You're just like your mother" — those words would remain, Like being who I was meant something to blame. I carry his fire, his stubborn pride, I've felt that same anger burning inside. But I've learned to say when I've got it wrong, To forgive, to let go, to keep moving on. And time has changed things we couldn't explain, We've found our way closer through the years and the pain. I see more than the hurt, more than what went wrong, And I know I can choose what I pass along. You'll get through this, even if you can't see how, Even if the world is falling down around you now. Some things aren't yours to mend, some wounds take time, Some answers only come when you leave them behind. I can't change the past, can't rewrite what's gone, But I can choose what I carry on. I'll keep the love, let the hurt fall away, And become the man I needed back in those days. Now two little boys look up to me, Trusting in the man that I'm trying to be. I won't have every answer when they need me to, But I'll sit beside them and see it through. I hope they feel safe enough to tell me the truth, That they never have to earn my love or my approval. I don't have to be perfect, I just have to try, To be there when they need me, through the lows and the highs. I can't promise I'll never get it wrong, But I'll own my mistakes and I'll carry on. They'll know they're loved, whatever may come, And the things that hurt me won't define what I've done. You'll get through this, even if you can't see how, Even if the world is falling down around you now. You were never meant to save everyone, You were just a child trying to find the sun. I can't change the past, but I know where I stand, With a little more mercy and an open hand. I'll keep the love, break the chain, Take the good and change the pain. The past is part of me, but it won't decide What I leave behind. Some things take time. Some wounds move on. You find your way. You carry on. And I'll keep the love And pass that on.