If I Had a Daughter

If I had a daughter, I'd tell her that the first breath Of life is the easiest From then on it takes years of practice 'Cause if you know how to keep air in your lungs Then you'll survive when fate tackles you Rubs your face in the Astroturf and grinds its cleats into your back I'd tell her that it's better to be out there On the field of life takin' hits and makin' touchdowns Than bitchin' about the game in the bleachers If I had a daughter, I'd teach her how to face life And its peaks and valleys with grit, modesty, hope, compassion and love I'd want her to accept herself I'd want her to watch the stars instead of her weight Love her body, feed her soul, dance with her curves See those blue veins as a masterpiece Howl at the moon instead of her hair and to live inside out If I had a daughter, if I had a daughter If I had a daughter, I'd teach her to hold Her head high and strut through this world As a more than instead of a less than She'd trust her voice, speak her mind and seek the truth 'Cause if it talks like a duck and walks like a duck Then yes, it might be a skunk If I had a daughter, she'd know that gay or straight Pin-striped or polka-dotted, tye-dyed or solid Straight-laced or bent, she'd have my acceptance And blessing in regards to whomever she gave her heart to If I had a daughter, I'd give her a compass So if she was lost she could find her way back to reality And when her soul hit the low notes and her heart was a kick drum I'd teach her how to turn it into song If I had a daughter, if I had a daughter If I had a daughter, I'd want her to be willing To venture into the great unknown But I'd make sure she had the blueprints to build her own universe If I had a daughter, I would carry her with me In every breath of every moment I would wake with her name on my lips And go to bed with her dreams in my heart if I had a daughter If I had a daughter, if I had a daughter