I Turned on the News

I don’t ask you

Any questions

When you come home

I put dinner

In the microwave

And I watch while you eat it

My wife, I tell people,

She’s always working late

So I put the kids to bed

And I make sure

Their homework is done

And I do popcorn monster

For Theresa

And everything’s great

Because I knew

What I was getting

And I knew

What I was getting myself into

The other guys would go out

And I would stay home

Because my wife’s gotta work

And everybody was thinking
I was such a hero

Because I wasn’t like

All the other fathers

Who still acted

Liked it was 1950

And made their wives wait at home

While they went out

And did their business

But when you met me

You had me right from the jump

And you let me know

How it was going to be

And I said ‘Okay’

Because what else

Was I going to say?

Maybe people aren’t

Supposed to fall in love

The way I fell for you

But we’re ten years

And two kids in

So what am I going to do, right?

And if you did your business

The way the guys did

I think I could live with it

Not because it’s better

But because I grew up

With my father

Doing that kind of business

Knowing how to live with that

Is in my blood

Doesn’t make it right

But that’s how I am

With you though…

I turned on the news tonight

Sat there

Sat there for…

God, I don’t even know

Five minutes?

Six?

Turned it off

Walked to the window

In our beautiful living room

In our beautiful house

In a nice neighborhood

With good schools

The girls upstairs

Protected

Because you work so hard

So that they never have to know

What life is like

For the people

Who aren’t protected

And I stay here

To put the icing

On the cake

So it’s not just about them

Feeling safe

But feeling happy

You take care of one

I take care of the other

But tonight

Somebody made the world

A little less safe

And I need to know

If you had anything

To do with that

Because even guys like my father

Had rules

Things he wouldn’t do

Do you have those rules?

Or do you do things

Differently

And I just never

Thought to ask

You finish your dinner

And then

We can talk about it

Turn on the news

If you want

I think it’s time

You started to see things

The way
I do