[Verse]
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..Our father hid a lot of painful memories
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..A bunch of **** he never shared
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..But when he died, I went out looking for them
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..For all the things he never said
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..Thought he was born in 1948, but
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..Was born a whole decade before
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..Thought he was brought up in New Zealand, but he
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..Was born and brought up in Samoa
F#m E
We thought that he was only half-Samoan
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That his mother was a German Jew
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But I went found his birth certificate
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And he lied about that too
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Our father’s love was unmistakable, and
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..He gave us everything he had
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..And I guess that meant pretending he was half-white
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..To give his kids a better chance
[Verse]
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..My sister, she lives out in New York City
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Been there since I was seventeen
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I think she hates it, but like most New Yorkers
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She just can’t bring herself to leave
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She used to love to watch our father cooking
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And imitate the things she’d seen
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And now she makes the most amazing things, and
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She also sings better than me
F#m E
And when he died, she and her husband stayed
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To keep my mother company
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And even though it ****** them up a lot
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They did a better job than me
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And I wish that we could see them every weekend
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And she could cook her famous meals
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I wish that I could hang out with her husband
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More than a couple times a year
[Verse]
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Our brother Wesley is a quiet man, and
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He is the second of us four
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He inherited our father’s hands, but
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He looks like me a little more
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He has a love that’s unmistakable, and
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He’s seen police brutality
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He lives in Auckland with his wife and dog, and
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He stands a shade above 6’3
F#m E
Our father left him with a cousin, and
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He got into trouble frequently
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Me and my sister only heard of him
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In 2000 and 18
[Verse]
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Our brother Matthew is a baker, and he
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Stands a mighty seven feet
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He was brought up in a Maori family
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And speaks Te Reo fluently
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He didn’t know about our father till I
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I guess he was about 18
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He did some time for something awesome, and he’s
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The sweetest guy you’ll ever meet
F#m E
He came to meet me at a festival
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He told me everything he knew
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Our father left him at the hospital
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But if he forgives him, then I should too
[Bridge]
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La la la la la la la la la la la
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La la la la la la la la
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La la la la la la la la la la la
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La la la la la la la
[Verse]
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I know our father had his reasons, but that
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Can never make it right or fair
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I hate myself for stealing all his love when
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My brothers thought that he was dead
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So as I dig through the collateral
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The secrets hid throughout the years
F#m E C#m D
I know I’ll hardly ever answer them
Bm D A
But it’s a way to keep him near
[Outro]
D A
La la la la la la la la la la la
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Na na na na na na na
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La la la la la la la la la la
Bm D A
La la la la la la la la