Danny's Downs

On the day little Danny arrived His father stared and his mother cried They knew his name but they didn't know why He looked the way he did This thing happens to other kids How in the world are we gonna live With a boy like that? Doctor said,"Dan's the first bad news Second is his heart won't make it through It must be fixed unless you choose To send him back where he came Starve the boy from his name Just six short days of pain Or maybe less" [Chorus:] Danny's Downs but Love is up It's been known to be more than enough For more and more of us Danny's downs but Love is up "I'm not that strong," his father said "The dreams are gone, the hopes have fled Won't be long after he's dead We'll try again to find The child we had in mind Where the hell are those papers to sign?" And the man broke down In a private room Danny's mother wept As an old Jamaican woman swept And not by chance their eyes met (And she said) "God's gifts are only good y'know And there ain't no Love the Lord can't grow Aw honey, take that boy with ya when ya go Back home [Chorus] It's been eight years since the surgery His sister's 5, his brother's 3 He goes to school and he knows how to read He takes the bus home by himself Puts his lunch pail back upon the shelf And he hugs his Momma till she melts To the floor They're more than a home, they're a family 'Cause blood and bones are still souls y'see And someone's baby's just another Danny And in the guest room in the back Lives this old Jamaican black 'Cause