Father's Land
Father's Day is this Sunday, and I'm back home on my parents' farm for a couple weeks, so I figured it was a good time as any to share a little bit about a Harvard MBA turned grass farmer (for almost two decades) whom I call my father. Oftentimes, the word "father" is used to describe a man in relation to the paternity of a child. But for me, for much of my life, what a father represented was something more than one half of a resulting childbirth. Many people can choose to take action that leads to the conception of a child. It takes someone special to raise a human being. To teach them right from wrong. To give care and protection. And finally, to commit to do these things consistently and continuously.
For the first half of my life, I was raised by a loving mother who sacrificed so much to bring me to this country to give me better opportunities. During my early teenage years, my stepfather entered my life. I did not embrace this change as I was an angry teenager and apprehensive about a strange caucasian man who showed affection for the only other family member in my life. Slowly over time, he gained my trust through action, rather than words. He taught me morals and decorum. Everything was a lesson with him. And this was invaluable.
For some time now, I have wanted to write a song that could effectively incapsulate my personal relationship with him and also share a few words with him. Sentimental and emotion-driven conversations aren't exactly our forte so I figured this would be a good way to tell him how grateful I am for him. I hope that you enjoy this small glimpse into a part of my life and see a small bit of the extraordinary man I call my father. Happy Father's Day.
LYRICS
Verse 1
I recall every word and lesson at the diner up the street
And every answer to every question always came in threes
Never once told me what to do but you taught me to be free
And the way that you loved my mama is the way you loved me
Chorus
There are times the apple falls beneath a different tree
Though I came from another world
You made a home for me
I never know the words to say but I hope that you’ll agree
That one day I’ll be the kind of man you didn’t have to be
Verse 2
You stand for what you stand on as a farmer of the land
You know we dug a little deeper by the dirt upon our hands
You raise the grass and I’ll raise a song
So I think you’ll understand
Trying to make the world beautiful
And do the best that we can