PAPA
Tom Jones Lyrics

Everyday my papa would work
My father used to work every day.

To try to make ends meet
He worked to earn enough money for us to live.

To see that we would eat
His main goal was to provide us with food.

Keep those shoes upon my feet
He also wanted us to have proper footwear.

Every night my papa would take me
Every night, he would put me to bed.

And tuck me in my bed
He would make sure that I was comfortable.

Kiss me on my head
He would show his love by giving me a goodnight kiss.

After all my prayers were said
He made sure that I finished my prayers before going to bed.

And there were years
There were many years.

Of sadness and of tears
We went through tough times and cried a lot.

Through it all
Despite the difficult times,

Together we were strong
We stayed strong by supporting each other.

We were strong
We were able to overcome the challenges together.

Times were rough
The situation was difficult.

But Papa he was tough
My father was strong and resilient.

Mama stood beside him all along
My mother supported him throughout.

Growing up with them was easy
My childhood was comfortable and happy.

The time had flew on by
The years went by quickly.

The years began to fly
Time moved faster.

They aged and so did I
As they got older, I did too.

And I could tell
I could see and feel that

That mama she wasn't well
My mother was not in good health.

Papa knew and deep down so did she
My father and mother both knew and understood her condition.

When she died
After my mother passed away,

Papa broke down and he cried
My father was overwhelmed with grief and cried.

And all he could say was, 'God, why her? Take me!'
He questioned why she had to suffer and expressed his desire to be with her.

Everyday he sat there sleeping in a rocking chair
My father spent most of his days sitting on a rocking chair and sleeping.

He never went upstais
He never went upstairs because my mother was no longer there.

Because she wasn't there
The reason why he did not want to go upstairs is that my mother was not around anymore.

Then one day my Papa said,
One day, my father said to me,

Son, I'm proud of how you've grown
He expressed his pride in my growth.

He said, 'Go out and make it on your own.
He encouraged me to be independent and stand on my own two feet.

Don't worry. I'm O.K. alone.'
He reassured me that he would be fine without me.

He said, 'There are things that you must do'
He advised me to do certain things in life.

He said, 'There's places you must see'
He recommended traveling to certain places.

And his eyes were sad as he
He had a sad expression in his eyes as he

As he said goodbye to me
Bid farewell to me.

Every time I kess my children
Whenever I kiss my children,

Papa's words ring true
'Children live through you. Let them grow! They'll leave you, too' - this advice from my father is still relevant and accurate.

He said, 'Children live through you.
My father meant that my children's experiences would be influenced by me.

Let them grow! They'll leave you, too'
He advised me to let my children grow and warned me that they will eventually move out.

I remember every word Papa used to say
I have not forgotten any of my father's advice.

I kiss my kids and pray
I kiss my kids and hope that everything goes well for them.

That they'll think of me
I hope that someday my children will remember me.

Oh how I pray
I really wish

They will think of me
That my children will remember me

That way
In a positive light.

Someday
In the future.