You Had To Be There

He sat down, picked up the phone
 And said, "Boy, I'm your old man"
 He touched the glass between the two
 As if to shake his hand
 The boy, he didn't budge
 Not even so much as a blink
 The man said, "Oh, come on
 Better late than never, don't you think?"
 He said, "I read it in the paper
 Can't believe you're 21
 Can't believe some son of mine
 Could do the things I hear you've done"
 He went on like some big hero
 Who flew in to save the day
 And the boy said, "If you're here
 To steer me right, man, it's too late"
 "You had to be there
 And I'm talkin' from day one
 That's the only time a man should talk
 Through glass to his new son"
 "And you'd have to go back
 And teach me how when I was nine
 'Cause my mama couldn't throw a ball
 Even if she had the time"
 "And I should have been learnin' how to fish
 Instead of learnin' how to smoke
 I bet if you'd have whooped my tail
 I'd never thought it was a joke"
 He said, "Sometimes the will
 For doin' wrong is way too strong
 For any Mama's prayers
 You had to be there"
 The man said, "Boy, I'm sorry
 That you hate me like you do"
 The boy said, "Dry it up, man
 We ain't makin' this about you"
 "It's about a teenage girl against the world
 Who was left there high and dry
 About a kid who might have stood
 A whole lot better shot at life"
 "But you had to be there
 And I'm talkin' from day one
 That's the only time a man should talk
 Through glass to his new son"
 "You'd have to go back
 And teach me how when I was nine
 'Cause my mama couldn't throw a ball
 Even if she had the time"
 "I should have been learnin' how to fish
 Instead of learnin' how to smoke
 I bet if you'd have whooped my tail
 I'd never thought it was a joke"
 He said, "Sometimes the will
 For doing wrong is way too strong
 For any Mama's prayer
 You had to be there"
 Before the boy hung up the phone
 He said, "They say I'm out of time"
 And it hit the man right there and then
 "My God, son, so am I"