Happy Birthday
Flipside Lyrics

Please accept my apologies, wonder what would have been
Apologizing for the decision to abort, thinking about the alternative possibilities

would you have been a little angel? or an angel of sin?
Wondering if the child would have been well-behaved or rebellious

tom-boy running around, hanging with all the guys?
Imagining the child's personality, possibly being a tomboy

or a little tough boy with beautiful brown eyes?
Speculating on the child's appearance

paid for the murder befor they had determined the sex
Acknowledging that the decision was made before knowing the gender of the child

choosing our life over your life meant your death
Recognizing that the abortion decision was made to prioritize the parents' lives

and you never got a chance to even open your eyes
Reflecting on the fact that the child never had a chance to live

sometimes I wonder as a fetus if you fought for your life?
Thinking about whether the child would have tried to survive in the womb

Would you have been a little genius, in love with math?
Considering if the child would have had intellectual abilities

Would you have played in your school clothes and made me mad?
Predicting the child's behavior, possibly being mischievous

would you have been a little rapper like your poppa the piper?
Imagining if the child would have followed in the father's artistic footsteps

would you have made me quit smoking by finding one of my lighters?
Anticipating the possibility of the child triggering the father's decision to quit smoking

I wonder about your skintone and shape of your nose
Contemplating the child's physical features

and the way you would have laughed and talked fast or slow
Imagining the child's personality traits and speech pattern

I think about it every year, so I picked up a pen
Stating the reason for writing this song

Happy birthday, I love you whoever you would have been
Sending birthday wishes and affectionate thoughts to the child, despite not knowing them

What I thought was a dream
Referring to the lost opportunity of having a child

was as real as it seemed
Acknowledging the reality of the situation, despite it being an emotional and difficult experience

I got a million excuses, as to why you died
Admitting to having rationalized the decision to abort

and other people got their own reasons for homocide
Recognizing that other people may have influenced the decision

who's to say it would have worked
Raising the question of whether having the child would have been successful

and who's to say it wouldn't have
Recognizing the possibility that having the child may have been successful

I was young and struggling, but old enough to be a dad
Admitting to the difficult circumstances at the time of the decision

the fear of being my father has never disappeared
Acknowledging that the fear of becoming a parent like his own father still lingers

I ponder it frequently while I'm sipping on my beer
Reflecting on the decision while drinking alcohol

my vision of a family was artificial and fake
Realizing that his idea of a family may not have been realistic

so when it came time to create I made a mistake
Acknowledging that the decision to abort was a mistake

now you got a little brother, maybe it's really you
Speculating on whether the child has been reincarnated into his younger brother

maybe you really forgave us knowing we was confused
Hoping that the child may have forgiven him despite the difficult decision

maybe, every time that he smiles
Suggesting that his younger brother's happy moments may be a reflection of the older child's spirit

it's you proudly knowing that your father is doing the right thing now
Imagining that the older child may be proud of the father's current actions

I never tell a woman what to do with her body
Stating his position on reproductive rights

but if she don't love children then we can't party
Expressing the importance of wanting children in a relationship

from the heavens to the womb
Describing the cycle of life

to the heavens again
Acknowledging the possibility of an afterlife

from the ending to the ending
Describing the finality of death

never got to begin
Emphasizing the loss of potential and missed opportunity

maybe one day we can meet face to face
Expressing hope for reuniting with the child in the afterlife

in a place without time and space
Describing a spiritual realm that transcends physical limitations

happy birthday
Sending birthday wishes to the child