Written by Tom Douglas
Cadd11 C When you have a child Cadd11 C You learn it's a serious business Am D/A Am D/A To have a little fun Gadd11 G You give grace and get forgiveness Gadd11 Not seven times seven G Cadd11 C Cadd11 C But seven times seventy-one And when you have a child Those four walls you call a house Take on a life of it's own When you bring 'em home You will cry and you will laugh When they hurt it cuts you in half Gadd11 G It's your flesh and bone Em Am And year after year Em Am Pictures fill page after page Em Am They never really grow up Em Am Still your baby at any age Dm The first time you hold 'em C It's like you see God's smile F Gadd11 G What a smile Cadd11 C When you have a child And then boy meets girl And perfume and gasoline Rain on your perfect world Curfews are often broken Thank you’ s aren't spoken Dm He's got the keys to that old Dodge C And she's wearing a corsage F Gadd11 G And her mama's pearls And year after year Pictures fill page after page They never really grow up Still your baby at any age And the first time you hold 'em It's like you feel God's smile What a smile Cadd11 C When you have a child Am Bb You pray that phone call never comes Dm And if God forbid C/E How would you live F G How could you go on G#dim Am F And on and on and on And year after year Close the chapter and turn the page Blue ribbons and losing seasons Flipping tassles on the stage Oh but you don't need a photograph You've got at least a million Pictures of that smile When you close your eyes When you love a child Ohh when you love a child