I WISH I'D KNOWN MY DAD

I really wish I'd known my dad at a time before
He had to experience all the sufferings of war
A time when he was still footloose and fancy-free
A time when he was not yet trapped by poverty
I wish I'd know him while he still had his ideals
And life had not ground him beneath its heels
Before he was weighed down by responsibilities
The joys and burdens which come with families
I wish I'd known him before life had made him sad
When he was young and when he was jack the lad
At a time when it was not yet possible to trace
Where life's hardships had been etched in his face
I wish I'd known dad when he was young and bold
Before the cancers grip had really taken hold
I wish I'd really known him before his early end
I think I would have liked to have called him friend