Same Love

Hi, mom

I’m really scared right now, but I have to

At age thirteen, my mom knew I wasn’t straight

She didn’t understand, but she had so much to say

She sat me on the couch, looked me straight in my face

And said, "You’ll burn in hell

Or probably die of Aids

It’s funny now, but at thirteen it was pain

To be almost sure of who you are and have it ripped away

And I’m sorry if it’s too real for some of you to fathom

But hate for who you love is not exactly what you’d imagine

And I guess it was disastrous

Because everything that happened afterwards was just madness

Locked away for two years to keep me on the inside

Because she’d rather see a part of me die than me thrive

And it’s tougher when it’s something you can’t deny

And ignorance teaches us it’s something you decide

You’re driven by your choices, an optical illusion

Here’s to understanding it’s not always confusion

And I can’t change even if I tried, even if I wanted to

And I can’t change even if I tried, even if I wanted to

My love, my love, my love

She keeps me warm, she keeps me warm

She keeps me warm, she keeps me warm

I’ve walked the halls of my school

And I’ve seen kids hide behind walls

And footballs and things like pride

I’ve seen innocent children suffer beneath bruises

Suffer beneath every single hand that chooses

Ignorance, fuck your religion

Fuck constitutions, fuck superstitions

There are no lakes of fire; they’re here on earth

And the only thing to do is put love first

And so I stand for the boy who died by his hand

To the sound of his father screaming “woman loves man”

This is adam and eve, not adam and steve

And I stand for the girl with the cuts up her sleeve

And the heart in her hand and a chip on her shoulder

And I stand for it all until ignorance is over

This is for you, for knowing who you are

For never letting your magic outside of your heart

Be you, be brave

And understand that things do change

I accept you for you when I don’t understand

And I love you for you cause this is who I am

I accepted you for you when I didn’t understand

Now love me for me cause this is who I am

And I can’t change even if I tried, even if I wanted to

And I can’t change even if I tried, even if I wanted to

My love, my love, my love

She keeps me warm, she keeps me warm

She keeps me warm, she keeps me warm

Here’s a message to the people

Who just don’t get it

Love is love, there is no difference

Not a medication to fix it, there is no prescription

No rehab to visit, it is not an addiction

It’s love and it’s selfless

It’s yours and everybody else’s

So don’t badger and abuse the solemnly defenseless

See us as yourself, there’s no equality in difference

Until we all get it

We’ll be drowning in the same blood

Despite orientation, we all feel the same love

We’ll be drowning in the same blood

Despite orientation, we all feel the same love

And I can’t change even if I tried, even if I wanted to

And I can’t change even if I tried, even if I wanted to

My love, my love, my love

She keeps me warm, she keeps me warm

She keeps me warm, she keeps me warm

We are boxed in and labeled

Before we're ever able to speak who we believe we are

Or who we dream we'll become

Like drum beats forever changing their rhythm

I am living today as someone I had not yet become yesterday

And tonight I'll only borrow pieces

Of who I am today

To carry with me to tomorrow

No, I'm not gay

No, I'm not straight

And I sure as hell am not bisexual

Damn it I am whoever I am when I am it

Loving whoever you are when the stars shine

And whoever you'll be when the sun rises

So here's to being able

Here's to love

Here's to loving just because

Here’s to acceptance

Here’s to never fearing the fear of rejection

Here’s to love and never neglecting who you feel you are

Here’s to bullies because beatings cannot last forever

Here's to the moment you realize things do get better

Here’s to the parents who will get it when its too late

Here’s to second chances

Here’s to new fate

Here’s to every single moment you’ve ever had to hide you

Here’s to the single star shining bright inside you

Asking you to guide you

Here’s to who you’ll be when you figure it all out

Here’s to momentary doubt

Here’s to feeling, because we all feel it the same

Here’s to the moment that things will change

Because we all feel love, we all feel it the same

Here’s to love, here’s to change