in spite of you (rewrite six)

every hour of honest work
every healing inside the hurt
every morning when I wake
every rough and ragged 
breath I take
everything I can
I'm going to
everything I am
everything I do
I'm gonna make it though
in spite of you

every year of growing old
every journey of my soul
every time I've had to fight
to see the difference 'tween wrong and right
and try to understand
before I choose
everything I am
everything I do
and I'll do what I have to do
in spite of you

          you've wanted to harm me
          since I can remember
          but now you don't alarm me
          I don't have to surrender

every second
every minute
of a life with joy within it
I will fight 
as hard as I must
until all your words
have turned into dust
everything I am
everything I do
every well-earned plan
from a forgotten clue
I know what is true
in spite of you

I can't be
the man I was before
I don't need you
anymore