Father White

[Verse 1]
Captain White woke up at three
To a sound like a siren chewing glass
One little gummy on the ceiling fan
One in the sink, one stuck to his mask

Bottle on the counter, bottle on the floor
Bottle in a place no bottle should be
Sugar Queen said, baby, hold this one
And handed him something looking back with three eyes

[Pre-Chorus]
He said, I have fought through red lights
I have stood before the king
I have signed my name to danger
I have heard the engine sing

But nothing in the manual
Nothing in the war
Said fatherhood would melt the locks
And crawl beneath the door

[Chorus]
Father White, Father White
Walking circles in the kitchen light
One won't sleep and one can fly
One keeps blinking with another man's eyes

Father White, Father White
Trying to do the wrong thing right
Love is loud and sleep is gone
And every little gummy keeps hanging on

[Post-Chorus]
Sticky hands
Tiny screams
Cosmic stains
On the washing machine

Sticky hearts
Little kings
Daddy used to want wings

[Verse 2]
He warmed the milk to body temp
Or what he hoped a body meant
Checked the chart from the doctor drone
That said, do not leave them unattended near cement

One turned purple, one turned clear
One said mama in a voice too deep
One grew teeth and disappeared
Then reappeared pretending to sleep

[Pre-Chorus]
And he rocked one left
And he rocked one right
And he whispered, son, or daughter, or light

I don't know where you came from
I don't know what you are
But I know you are crying
And I know I am not far

[Verse 3]
Sugar Queen was sleeping hard
Like a monarch after war
Captain White stood in the dark
With three small moons on the nursery floor

He counted fingers, counted toes
Counted limbs that came and went
One had dimples just like his
One had the face of the firmament

Then the smallest grabbed his thumb
With a grip like a royal decree
And Captain White forgot the math
Of biology and ancestry

[Pre-Chorus]
He said, maybe blood is simple
Maybe blood is strange
Maybe love is just the thing
That stays when all the names rearrange

But still at four-thirteen
By the humming fridge light
He stared at that glowing baby
And thought, that one is not mine

[Bridge]
He called the king at sunrise
Said, sir, I need advice
The old man laughed for seven minutes
Then said, welcome to your life

He said, boy, you wanted sugar
You wanted royal flame
Now you got a house of little monsters
All practicing your name

Captain White said, respectfully
Some of these kids look new
The king said, son, in this family
So did you

[Breakdown]
Diaper bag, battle flag
Bottle warmer, body drag
Lullaby, alibi
Who put slime in Daddy's eye?

Pacifier, amplifier
Tiny teeth and nursery fire
Love is war and war is sweet
There are gummies on his feet

[Final Chorus]
Father White, Father White
Dancing circles in the kitchen light
One won't sleep and one can fly
One keeps blinking with another man's eyes

Father White, Father White
Trying to do the wrong thing right
Love is loud and sleep is gone
But every little gummy keeps hanging on

Father White, Father White
No more medals, no more flight
Just one more bottle, one more song
One more night of holding on

[Outro]
Captain White sat down at dawn
With a baby stuck to his chest
He said, I don't know if you're mine, little star
But I'm the one who hasn't slept

And the baby smiled
With too many teeth
And called him Dad
So soft and sweet