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He’s one year old, and what will you teach him?
That all alone in his crib tonight
When you tuck him in and turn out the light
That though he cries till he bursts his lungs
He shouldn’t expect a deliverer to come

He’s five years old, and what will you teach him?
That although he spreads his toys all about
When Daddy’s home, musn’t run and shout
But Mommy will pick all the blocks up and say
He’s been a good boy, so helpful today

He’s ten years old, and what will you teach him?
That only bad boys say such nasty words
Though it’s from your lips that they’ve been heard
Men can see things too old for young boys
And girls are the best of a big man’s toys

He’s fifteen years old, and what will you teach him?
That seat belts are laws, but not really rules
And helping a stranger is only for fools
Taxes get paid unless there’s a way out
And a crime isn’t wrong if your lawyer has clout

He’s twenty years old, and what do you see?
That there is no deliverer, he’s on his own;
The rules that he follows depends on who’s home
Connections count more than true ability
And charm’s more important than responsibility

Wrong can be right if you’re old enough
And girls might be assets if they’ve got the right stuff
Rules are just guideposts that can bend or break
And the rights of others is something you can take

He has his own child, and what will he teach?
He learned from your knee what counts and what pays
His actions will teach more than anything he says,
Right is just right when the benefit is clear
Wrong is measured by the things he holds dear,

And behind closed doors he is the true king
But in front of other eyes may be a different thing
Morals and values are not bedrock, but lost
When the line he re-draws as he adds up the cost