Title: WHAT DID YOU TAKE WITH YOU, FATHER? [Intro: soft piano and nylon guitar, 16s] [Verse 1] When you left your homeland behind You took some family pictures with you Pictures of your parents, your sisters and brothers Faces you knew and loved so well As years went by, those pictures were lost Only memories remained in your heart [Verse 2] You carried the hopes of those you loved They prayed that you would survive the sea In the dark of night, who knew tomorrow? A little boat upon the waves You did not know what lay ahead You only hoped to reach another shore And find a place to live in peace And build a better life than before [Chorus] What did you take with you, Father? Your homeland and the ones you loved Across the sea, through all those years You could not see what lay ahead You only hoped for something more [Verse 3] Then you arrived in a distant land With nothing but your two empty hands You never told us all your hardships You worked so hard so we could stand I grew up here in America I never knew the worries you carried Behind your smile, through sleepless nights You faced the fears you kept inside [Bridge] Those family pictures are gone now Where are the ones you left behind? Sometimes you heard news from home But feared to ask what you might find There were things you never spoke of Yet deep inside, you still remember [Final Chorus] What did you take with you, Father? Now I understand those years You carried your homeland in your heart And all the hopes of those you loved You carried faith and hope within you So I could grow up living free You bore the pain and never complained To give me a better life than yours [Outro] Those family pictures are gone now But love remains within your heart You carried so much without a word So I could have the life I have today
