MAN BEFORE HIS TIME

Six years old and already taking care of the house
Seven years old and already knew how to lie so as not to be a burden
While others played at nothing
I learned my own way to raise myself

No one called me a child
They called me the man of the house too soon
I traded toys for vigilance
I traded childhood for being capable

I was a man before my time
Without ever having been a boy
Carrying a whole house
On the shoulders of a tiny body

Today I have an adult's body
And still cry like a hidden child
No one returns stolen time
I only learn to carry what remains of life

No one called me a child
They called me the man of the house too soon
I traded toys for vigilance
I traded childhood for being capable

I was a man before my time
Without ever having been a boy
Carrying a whole house
On the shoulders of a tiny body

Who took care of me? No one
Who asked if I could handle it? No one
And still I went on
And still I go on

I was a man before my time
But today I choose who I am
I'm no longer the boy who cries alone
I'm the man who finally embraced himself

Before my time, now, on my own time