Until I've Lived My Life

He's a father, a man, he's a husband with stories he tells

Of days that he lived through and things that he watched die as well

He said I've fought wars and I had my day

I was forced to be strong, i was taught to be brave

And I was

I saw things that weren't meant to be seen

I would have lost it all for my country and queen

But I'm here

I took the hand of a mixed-race girl

And she showed me to love, yeah

She showed me the world

Now I'm dying

But I can't die

No, I can't die

Until I've lived my life

She's a mother, a woman, a grandma with secrets she kept

And some of those secrets were the only things she had left

She said I saw women in magazines

I could have known who I could have been

Yeah, that's right

Cast my hands in those concrete slabs

I just wanted to sing, I just wanted to dance every night

And I had visions and I had dreams

But they weren't the same as my

Husband and children and home

So I made choices that were alright

And I lived my life being someone's wife

Don't I know?

But I can't die

No, I can't die

I hope there are smiles in the crowd

When I'm lowered into the ground

And the earth takes me back

And they'll say I did all I can

And I'll sleep with no dreams in my mind

'Cause my dreams were so very alive

But this time

No, I can't die

Until I've lived my life

No, I can't die

No, I can't die

Until I've lived my life