His War Within

I was the one who slammed the doors, The one who fought to have an opinion I questioned every rule they made, And fought battles I could never win. I thought if I drew all the fire, It would never reach your skin, I never knew the war I fought Was one they'd make you fight within. They said, "Don't be like your brother, Don't think the way he does." Every scar I took for freedom Became a warning of what I was. And while I stood there taking fire, Trying to shield what I could see, I never knew they'd use my name To teach you what not to be. Every report card had to be perfect, Every choice had to be right, You'd stare at any decision Like your whole world was on the line. I would fight out in the daylight, You fought shame when we were done., Trying to earn a kind of peace That always stayed one step behind. They said, "Don't be like your brother, Don't make the same mistakes." So you built your life on caution, And carried everybody's weight. And while I stood there taking fire, Trying to shield what I could see, I never knew they'd use my name To teach you how afraid to be. If I could go back now, I'd tell that younger man, Some wounds don't come from what they do, But from what they demand. And I'd tell you none of it was your fault, You were never broken inside, You were just a good man growing up With nowhere safe to hide. They said, "Don't be like your brother," But they never understood, Everything I ever fought against Was because I loved you the way a brother should. I thought if I drew all the fire, It would never reach your skin, I never knew the war I fought Became your war within. I took the heat... You took the echoes... I fought my fights where all could see them, Your fights were buried deep within. And if I'd known the price you'd pay For every fight I'd ever been in, I'd have stood beside you then, The way I'd stand beside you now. The fire burned out years ago, But some echoes still remain. Little brother... I'm proud of the man you became.