The Rooms My Mother Made

She said, «Your coat isn’t new but it’s gonna be clean
Stand up for yourself and say what you mean
Look at me when I’m talkin' to you
I’m talking to you.»
I might work like dog, I might swear like a sailor
I’ve loved her and fought her and sometimes failed her
But I always come home to the rooms my mother made
Don’t be afraid to look behind you
And take what’s worth taking
Leave what needs leaving behind
I’ve washed the newborn and held hands with the dying
Howled with the laughing, embraced the grieving
There’s so much to gain and so much to lose along the way
Yet I was born a woman and proud to be so
Glad that I’ve learned what I needed to know
But I always come home to the rooms my mother made.
Don’t be afraid to look behind you
And take what’s worth taking
Leave what needs leaving behind
When I stand up I can stand up strong
I can burn like a coal and say what I mean
I can cradle my lover’s head like a treasure
Whisper something fearlessly tender
I always come home
I always come home
I always come home to the rooms my mother made