When He Was Small

[Musical intro that builds in intensity in minor chords] [Verse 1] [vulnerable vocals] Here's this little boy He hears the cries in the night, And wonders if mom will be alright The noise is more than he can bear He's not quite aware of why it happens to her [pulsating synths] Things haven't been the same... Since that long ago day When she brought the man home to them [melodic interlude] [Verse 2] He was a dangerous man back then the boy didn't understand he just knew how mean he was He was too small to protect her [tense underscore] Each time the man hit her What more was there a kid could do? Oh, sometimes he was nice Mostly he was cold as ice With arms covered in strange tattoos He taught them all to hate, Bigotry was all he ate, And the boy never knew any different [Chorus] Ohhh back when he was so small, [pulsating synths] He wished that he was tall So that he could protect them all The tears came so fast Tears that would always last Because that pain never goes away You can push it down for a while It's easier as a child But it has a way of coming back He hated seeing her bloodied and bruised And there was nothing that he could do When he was terrorized all the same [Verse 3] He grew up hating him he resented this life so grim But he never had the power to make a change Sometimes months went by When he didn't make mother cry But it ended like the [ghostly echoes] seasons Leaving seemed to be the Only answer Hate just was spreading like a cancer And he didn't know how much more he could take Ohh he could take [Chorus] Yeah back when he was small, How he wished this giant would fall and things would return to normal They never asked for this man To be a part of their life plan But when you're a kid no one listens And as he grew the pain increased The resentment was released To all the suffering he had witnessed He had been a victim himself as well How could she let this harm befell the children that she loved? Not sure he'd ever understand Or make sense of her plans He just wanted their pain to come to an end Woah come to an end Yeah come to an end [outro]