See the little girl smiling with me
Picture taken when she was just three
In the days when she said she was gonna marry Daddy
Now the little boys call on my phone
My little girl's got this mind of her own
Sometimes seems that her growing up is
easier on her than me

But what you are is all right with me
Dads & daughters they disagree, sometimes
Now you think I'm old fashioned
Believe me
Through the years we'll be friends
'Cause what you are is a delight to me
A gift of God & a mystery
I swear
No matter what you do
No power on earth can change
My love for you

Little girl in the grown-up disguise
There'll be times when, with tears in your eyes
You will ask my advice
And still never think twice
About not taking it
Some decisions you make will be wrong
It'll break my heart
Many times before you're grown
We'll have laughter & fights
It's all part of this life
Someday I'll let you go
But everyday I'll be there

'Cause what you are is all right with me
Dads & daughters they disagree, sometimes
Now you think I'm old fashioned
Believe me
Through the years we'll be friends
And what you are is a delight to me
A gift of God & a mystery
I swear
No matter what you do
No power on earth can change
My love for you


SONG NOTES:
One day in June, 1992 I was looking through some old photographs and found a picture of Jen & me on the sofa in our 1983 apartment. She had her arms around my neck and was smiling at the camera with the most conspiratorial smile a 3 year-old can muster.
Seeing it again made me smile & made my heart hurt.
In June 1992, that 3 year-old Daddy's girl had grown to an 11 year-old who was beginning to really assert herself as an individual. I'd never thought there'd be a generation gap. After all, we were rock & rollers... Our kids would be cool, like us. HA!
I know she has to separate to be her own person. And it's OK, even if it's also a challenge sometimes.

Because I was about to record this album in the next week, I wanted to have a new song to round it out. This is it.

I wanted to be able to tell her: It's OK. Be who you are. No one else. That's how I've always loved you & always will. It's so hard to say. Harder still to look her in the eyes and say it. Anyway... that was the source of this one.

Update:It's been more than 20 years, and this song has a second part now!
Both of my daughters, Jen & Meg, are all grown-up, and each has a little boy in her life! Here is a YouTube video of WHAT YOU ARE - Revisited