Has anybody ever called you baby?
I mean, like a lover.
Not the lady down at the hardware store who asks
'did you find everything alright, baby?'
Not the old woman at the grocery store who can't reach the milk on the top shelf
'could you get that for me, baby?'
And definitely not your mom when you fell off your skateboard and busted your knee
'oh, baby, come here.  let me look at that.'

I mean has a lover ever called you baby?
Have you ever heard the word baby roll off a woman's tongue
when she's on top of you and sucking your bottom lip
in-between her teeth so gently
that 'baby' is a mere breath that floats into your mouth,
'oh baby.'

Has anybody ever called you daddy?
I mean, like a lover.
Not the guy at the record store who greets you when you walk in
'what's up daddio!'
Not the little girl in line at the aquarium who looks up at you
'daddy?'
And definitely not the young girl at that concert;
you were definitely old enough to be her daddy.

I mean, has a lover ever called you daddy?
Have you ever heard the word daddy come out of your woman's mouth
when she's sitting on the edge of your bed wearing those seamed stockings,
your button down shirt,
your scent all over it,
beckoning you with her finger
'come here daddy'

Has anybody ever sat you down after a long hard day
and worked the knots from your shoulders?
Slow danced with you in the kitchen
while a pot of soup simmers on the stove?
Made you cornbread from scratch to go in that pot of soup?
Let you lick the icing from their fingertips?

Baby, when I finish making this cake for you,
I want you to sit down at the head of my kitchen table 
while I rub all the dirt off your shoulders,
whispering in your ear all the ways you make me weak
until you slump under the heavy blanket of my love.

I'll feed you this hot soup and cornbread, then, to nourish your belly.

And when you've had your fill of that,
I'm going to release that darkness right back out of your soul
until you explode
over
and over
again.