[Intro]
Hmm…
Mama…
I think I finally understand.
Maybe I've been scared of love
Before I even knew what love was.
[Verse 1]
I watched my mama give her everything,
Still she got accused of everything.
Daddy had secrets underneath his phone,
But somehow Mama was the one called a ho.
I was just a baby, but I saw it all,
The shouting in the house, the tears behind the walls.
She stayed through the pain, she stayed through the years,
And I grew up thinking love comes with fear.
[Pre-Chorus]
So I told myself, "Girl, don't you ever settle."
I'll find a better man, I'll find something better.
I want a home where my heart can breathe,
Where the man I love don't make me prove what he believes.
[Chorus]
But what if, what if, what if?
What if he changes after I say "I do"?
What if, what if, what if?
What if the man I love becomes somebody new?
I don't wanna live like Mama did,
I don't wanna cry behind closed doors.
I wanna love, I wanna trust,
But how do I know he won't hurt me like before?
[Post-Chorus]
Oh-oh-oh…
How do I know?
Oh-oh-oh…
How do I know?
If forever is forever,
Or just a beautiful lie?
[Verse 2]
Then I found you and I thought I was safe,
Three years of loving, three years I can't erase.
But slowly I heard the same words again,
The same kind of questions, the same kind of pain.
"Who is that guy? Why'd he follow you?"
"Why you talking to him? What did you do?"
Checking my phone like I'm something to hide,
Watching my every move from the other side.
Then you called me names I swore I'd never hear,
And suddenly my childhood was standing right there.
I looked at you and I finally knew—
I wasn't only scared of losing you.
[Pre-Chorus]
I was scared of becoming Mama,
Scared I'd wake up one day and discover
That the man I gave my heart to
Was the same kind of man I ran from.
[Chorus]
But what if, what if, what if?
What if he changes after I say "I do"?
What if, what if, what if?
What if the man I love becomes somebody new?
I don't wanna live like Mama did,
I don't wanna cry behind closed doors.
I wanna love, I wanna trust,
But how do I know he won't hurt me like before?
[Verse 3]
And I still love you, that's the crazy part,
After all the pain, you still live in my heart.
If you came back tomorrow with a ring,
Would I remember the pain or remember everything?
Maybe I'd say yes, maybe I'd be weak,
Maybe love would make me forget what I need.
But money and a ring don't change a man's heart,
And chemistry alone can't make a marriage last.
I need a man who can trust me when I'm out,
Who can hear "no" without turning it to doubt.
A man who protects my heart, not controls my life,
A man who makes me feel safe when he calls me his wife.
[Bridge]
Maybe Daddy's story isn't mine…
Maybe Mama's pain ends with her.
Maybe I can love somebody
And still love myself.
Maybe I don't have to rush,
Maybe I don't have to know today.
Maybe the right man won't make me
Beg to be believed.
And maybe…
Just maybe…
[Chorus]
What if, what if, what if?
What if forever doesn't have to hurt?
What if, what if, what if?
What if I find a love that finally works?
I don't wanna live like Mama did,
I wanna build a home that's safe.
I wanna laugh, I wanna trust,
I wanna give my heart and never be afraid.
So what if he changes after I say "I do"?
I'll take my time before I choose.
'Cause my father's story isn't my destiny,
And the love that broke my mother
Won't be the love that breaks me.
[Outro]
I love my father…
But I don't have to become my mother.
I loved you…
But I don't have to repeat our story.
Maybe love isn't the problem.
Maybe…
I just need to learn
What safe love feels like.
