At first I didn't want it
Her daddy, well, we didn't fit
But I couldn't swing it
I was scared to do it alone

Seventeen and pregnant
Not what I had in mind
Her daddy was a farmer
But not the wealthy kind

I wanted to be a dancer
But not the kind that did for pay
Who was this new person
That was getting in my way?

I could've walked out
Left her for dead
Cut her out with my own hands
But something in me
Was kicking and screaming to live

When the world's at stake
There are lives to save
And even though I shake
My hands at God I pray
Let her have a better life
Than I can provide
Lord have mercy on my soul
As I try to do her right

It took a long, long time
To understand God's plan for me
He threw me down the river
Beat my flush in kankakee

By the time my water broke
I was deep in my own debt
But when I saw her face
It was easy to forget

I knew I had to
Get her away
Take her to where my debt was paid
A new beginning
A place I'd never been
And never seen

When the world's at stake
All your dreams they change
And every step you take
Is for another's sake
And even if she grows to hate me
I won't change my course of heart
Lord have mercy on my soul
If we ever grow apart

You think that I resent her very being?
That maybe I regret her ever needing a mother
Is it wrong that I enjoy to right her?
I may be rash and overprotecting, not bitter
I suppose I could be softer

I can do better
Hold you closer
I'm learning that
As I grow older
I'm the one to forgive

When the world's at stake
You give your life away
And it feels so great
To watch the one you saved
Be the most adoring person
Your mom has ever known
Lord have mercy on my soul
And let my dreams be all her own

When my world's at stake