I LEARNED TO CRY BEFORE THE STORM [Verse 1 — soft, intimate] I had my wishes in a little bag, Tied to my mind with strings, I thought if I could hold them tight I'd never lose a thing. But one fell underneath the wheels, The others left my hand, Like colored balloons above the street Going where I couldn't stand. I ran until my lungs gave out, Watching heaven take them all, But I wasn't crying for what I'd lost— I knew what waited when I got home. [Pre-Chorus] I knew the footsteps, I knew the door, I knew the silence Right before— [Chorus] I learned to cry before the storm, Before the thunder had a voice, Before the first cold word was thrown, Before I even had a choice. I learned to say, “I'm sorry” For things I hadn't done, Learned every cloud meant lightning Even underneath the sun. Oh, I was only a child Trying to make it home— I learned to cry Before the storm. [Verse 2] “How could you lose it?” “What's wrong with you?” “Why can't you do one thing right?” A little mistake became my name By the end of every night. Careless. Useless. Never learns. Words have a way of staying. Funny how grown men can lose their way And call it a difficult day, But when a child drops something small, They make his whole soul pay. [Pre-Chorus] So I watched their faces, I learned their eyes, Became a little weatherman Reading angry skies. [Chorus] I learned to cry before the storm, Before the thunder had a voice, Before the first cold word was thrown, Before I even had a choice. I learned to say, “I'm sorry” Before I knew the crime, Learned how to hear tomorrow's anger One heartbeat ahead of time. Oh, I was only a child Trying to make it home— I learned to cry Before the storm. [Instrumental — acoustic guitar, cello, distant piano] [Verse 3 — older narrator] Years went by, the house grew small, Those voices faded too, But sometimes when I make mistakes The old sky still turns blue-black. A glass slips from my fingers, A promise leaves my mind, And somewhere there's that little boy Still running far behind. He thinks somebody's coming. He thinks he has to hide. So I sit beside him in my thoughts And tell him what nobody did: “You don't become a failure Every time something goes wrong. A human hand can lose its grip And still deserve to hold on.” [Bridge — music almost disappears] And maybe they were frightened too, Maybe storms were all they knew, Maybe someone taught their hands What frightened hands will do. But understanding where it came from Doesn't make the thunder right. A child should never learn to fear Before he learns to fly. [Final Chorus — wider, warmer] I learned to cry before the storm, Now I'm learning not to run, Learning every cloud above me Doesn't have to hide a gun. I don't have to say, “I'm sorry” Just for taking up some room, I don't have to call myself a failure Every time I lose. And if that little boy inside me Still hears thunder coming on, I'll take his hand And stay beside him— Until the storm is gone. [Outro — very quiet] My wishes weren't the only things That slipped out of my hands... I almost lost the child in me Trying to be a perfect man. So if I drop tomorrow And something good is gone, I won't punish that little boy. I'll help him carry on.
