I will tell you what love is: Love is the broken
sound in the night of feet that pass. Unwoken,
the lover stirs in his sleep, and, while he stirs,
a foot has gone past in the night as light as hers.

I will tell you what love is: Love is the proud
mouth that was shut in marble, and the loud
songs of the world are sung on lips all warm,
but these cold lips sing not, and have worked such harm.

I will tell you what love does: Man builds a greater
city than Babylon with gardens, and love, turned traitor,
sells the high town to the dream's eternal foeman,
that comes with the false sweet key, by night, of a woman.

I will tell you how love ends: Without a sound
love stabs in the dark of the heart, and leaves no wound.
And what was a man goes slowly, listening
for a tune played on a harp, but it has no string.

I will tell you all these things, and when they are told,
I shall remember the austere head of gold,
his slender motionless grace, and how he stands
looking with happy wonder at the cowslips in his hands.

I was just a young man back then, full of hope and dreams 
Thought I could give my little girl the world, or so it seemed
I warned her 'bout that no-good husband, told her he was bad news
But she wouldn't hear it, said he was the one, her heart he'd never lose

But life had other plans in store, that man brought naught but strife
He hurt my daughter, broke her heart, almost took her life
So I had to step in, to protect my precious child
Didn't mean for it to go so far, but in that moment, I ran wild

I'm a father, I'm in prison, 
For protecting my little girl
She married the wrong man, I warned her from the start
He brought her nothing but pain, he made her world fall apart

Our Father who art in prison
I'd do it all again, in a heartbeat
To save my precious angel, my whole world
I'd trade my freedom, for the safety of my little girl

I remember when she was just a toddler, so carefree and sweet
Pushing her dolls in a pram, by the old canal, 
I swore I'd keep her safe, from the darkness of this world
But that monster she married, made my daughter's life unreal

She visits me every week, tears streaming down her face
Saying I shouldn't have done it, that I should have walked away
But a father's love is boundless, there's no price that I won't pay
To protect my little angel, 'til my dying day

We've been spending most our lives,
With our father locked away inside
We've been spending most our lives, 
In our father's prison paradise
We keep spending most our days, 
Visiting him behind those gates
We keep spending most our days,
In our father's prison paradise
We'll be spending all our lives,
'Til the day he's free again 
We'll be spending all our lives,
In our father's prison paradise

Behind these bars, I see her smile fade
Walls closing in, memories replay
Courtroom silence turned my world upside down
Judge's gavel slammed my dreams into the ground

I hear the yard call, echoes of the street
Brothers in a hard place, life's on repeat
From the cell block, I dream of better days
Where my angel smiles, and these nightmares fade