I was a child once, the fear of the world in my eye   far from the safety of the other side   I colored by numbers, learned how to tie my own shoes   like all of the others I just prayed I’d make it through   prayed I would make it through      Oh Mother, look how your boy turned out 300 miles from that small town   You never stopped believing   Oh Daddy, it hurt to watch you walking out, but understand it made me stronger now   And so satisfied, so full of pride, thank you here from the other side      I’ll always remember, the kids and how mean they’d been   Eleven years old and I could not fit in   But I made it through high school and college according to plan   where pressure was never greater to become a man   Would I become a man      Oh mother….      Mother look how your boy turned out 300 miles from that small town   And Dad it hurt to watch you walking out, hear the piano do the crying now   For all the preachers and the teachers now, for all the ones who never let me down   I’m so satisfied, so full of pride, standing here on the other side, thank you here from the other side      Outro:      Here on the other side I’m taking my time   There’s nothing to fear, there’s nothing to worry about on the other side   I remember when I thought I’d never find   The other side