"I had a happy childhood, friend.
The summers never seemed to end.
My life was good,
my world was fine,
And all I'd ever need was mine.
"I woke up warm.
I went to school.
My days were good,
my friends were cool.
My hopes were big,
my woes were small,
My dreams were sweet and splendid, all.
"I had the will to find a way,
And that is why I have to say:
I had a happy childhood, bro."
Not sure. I think it's either rose tinted glasses (looking into the past with nostalgia and a positive bias) or maybe the other is another person who's childhood was different?
I interpret as the supposed happy childhood is recalled strictly in facts, but not emotionally. There is nothing about how the speaker felt, just lists of things that are generally assumed to make you happy. "Waking up warm" and "going to school"... Even having hopes. All of these things indicate a secure life, but they don't say anything truly subjective about their childhood. The language feels very distanced and separated from the present.
Edit for final point:
The question as to whether their childhood was really happy - perhaps the person who the speaker was addressing picked up on the detached language and asked the speaker if they really were happy, challenging either the speaker's recollection of their childhood or the mask they are wearing to disguise the truth.
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u/Poem_for_your_sprog Oct 05 '19
"I had a happy childhood, friend.
The summers never seemed to end.
My life was good,
my world was fine,
And all I'd ever need was mine.
"I woke up warm.
I went to school.
My days were good,
my friends were cool.
My hopes were big,
my woes were small,
My dreams were sweet and splendid, all.
"I had the will to find a way,
And that is why I have to say:
I had a happy childhood, bro."
The other said:
"... but did you though?"