He Don't Ask
Unspoken Questions: Crystal Bowersox's Heartfelt Reflections on Absence
Lyrics
There's a set of tiny footprints
Reference to small footsteps, possibly indicating a child's presence
And a blank space on the paper
Empty space on a document where the absent father's name should be
Where your name aught to be
Expressing the absence of the father's involvement or commitment
I told him I would tell him later
Delaying the explanation to the child about the absent father
The one and only picture
Referring to a singular image of the child with the father
Of your son upon your shoulders
Describing a memory of the child on the father's shoulders
Used to sit beside his bed
Former closeness represented by the father sitting beside the child's bed
Now there's a little plastic superman instead
Transformation of a real image to a symbolic plastic Superman
He don't ask about you anymore
Indicating the child no longer asks about the absent father
He ain't waiting by the telephone
Emphasizing the lack of anticipation for the father's contact
Or staring at his door
Child not eagerly waiting for the father's return
But somewhere inside he hides questions
Child grappling with unanswerable questions about the absent father
I don't have answers for
Mother's inability to provide answers to the child's questions
But he don't ask about you anymore
Reiterating the child's lack of curiosity about the absent father
I showed him how to throw a football
Mother taking on roles traditionally associated with the father
I taught him how to hit a nail
Mother teaching practical skills while contrasting with the father's absence
You're teaching him how to run from problems
Critical view of the absent father's influence on the child's behavior
And that life's no fairytale
Highlighting life's challenges and the absence of fairy-tale outcomes
We used to talk about you
Previous discussions about the absent father during bedtime
When I'd tuck him in at night
Shift to expressing gratitude for other positive influences
Now he thanks god for all his blessings
Child thankful for blessings, excluding the absent father
His friends, his mom, and his bike
Listing the child's current sources of joy
He don't ask about you anymore
Reiteration of the child's disinterest in the absent father
He ain't waiting by the telephone
Emphasizing the lack of anticipation for the father's contact (repeated)
Or staring at his door
Child not eagerly waiting for the father's return (repeated)
But somewhere inside he hides questions
Child struggling with unanswerable questions about the absent father (repeated)
I don't have answers for
Mother's inability to provide answers to the child's questions (repeated)
But he don't ask about you anymore
Reiterating the child's lack of curiosity about the absent father (repeated)
But he'll know how to treat a lady
Anticipating the child's positive future behavior towards women
He won't ever leave his baby
Assurance that the child won't abandon his own child
He's gonna be a hundred times the man
Expectation that the child will surpass the absent father's qualities
I always dreamed you'd be
Comparison of the child's potential with the unfulfilled dreams of the absent father
Even if its all on me
Acceptance of sole responsibility for the child's upbringing
He don't ask about you anymore
Reiteration of the child's disinterest in the absent father (repeated)
He ain't waiting by the telephone
Emphasizing the lack of anticipation for the father's contact (repeated)
Or staring at his door
Child not eagerly waiting for the father's return (repeated)
But somewhere inside he hides questions
Child struggling with unanswerable questions about the absent father (repeated)
I don't have answers for
Mother's inability to provide answers to the child's questions (repeated)
But he don't ask about you anymore
Reiterating the child's lack of curiosity about the absent father (repeated)
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