Syntax: The structure "Once I was seven years old" uses the adverb "once" to indicate a past time. "Go make yourself some friends" is an imperative sentence where the base form of the verb (Go, make) gives a direct command or piece of advice.
Morphology: "Years old" is a compound adjective following a number. "Told" is the simple past tense of the irregular verb "tell." "You'll" is a contraction of "you will," showing future tense in a conditional warning ("or you'll be lonely").

Syntax: "It was a big big world" uses repetition of "big" for emphasis. "But we thought we were bigger" is a comparative clause. "Pushing each other to the limits, we were learning quicker" uses a present participle phrase ("Pushing...") to describe the simultaneous action that accompanied the main clause ("we were learning").
Morphology: "Thought" is the simple past of "think." "Bigger" is the comparative form of the adjective "big." "Quicker" is the comparative form of the adverb "quick," modifying "learning."

Syntax: "By eleven" is a prepositional phrase indicating the time by which something happened. "Never rich so we were out to make that steady figure" is a compound sentence where "so" connects the cause (not being rich) to the effect (their intention).
Morphology: "Smoking" and "drinking" are present participles functioning as gerunds, the objects of the preposition "by" (understood as "by the age of eleven, we were smoking..."). "Were" is the past tense of "be." "Steady" is an adjective modifying the noun "figure" (meaning income).

Syntax: "I always had that dream like my daddy before me" uses "like" as a preposition to show similarity. "Something about that glory / Just always seemed to bore me" uses "Something about" + noun to express an indefinable quality. "'Cause" is a conversational contraction for "Because," introducing a reason clause.
Morphology: "Had" is past tense of "have." "Started" is the regular past tense of "start," followed by the gerunds "writing." "Bore" is the past tense of the irregular verb "bear" (in the sense of "to cause to feel bored"). "Will ever really know" uses the modal verb "will" for future certainty and "ever" as an adverb for "at any time."

Syntax: "I don't believe in failure" uses the preposition "in" after the verb "believe" to indicate the concept not accepted. "'Cause, I know the smallest voices, they can make it major" uses an apostrophe to show an omitted letter (Because), a comma for pause, and a pronoun ("they") to restate the subject ("voices") for emphasis, a stylistic device.
Morphology: "See" is present tense, contrasting with the past narrative, showing his current focus. "Don't" is the contraction of "do not." "Know" is present tense. "Can" is a modal verb expressing ability. "Got" is informal past/present for "have."

Syntax: "My woman brought children for me" is a colloquial structure meaning "my partner gave birth to our children." "So I can sing them all my songs" uses "so" to indicate purpose. "And I can tell them stories" is a parallel infinitive clause. "Some are still out seeking glory" uses the phrasal verb "are out" meaning "are engaged in."
Morphology: "Brought" is the past tense of "bring." "Can" is repeated as a modal verb for ability/permission. "Seeking" is the present participle of "seek." "Had to leave" uses "had to" as the past tense of the semi-modal "have to," expressing past necessity.

Syntax: "Remember life and then your life becomes a better one" is an imperative sentence ("Remember life") followed by a result clause. "I made a man so happy when I wrote a letter once" uses "so" as an intensifier before the adjective "happy." "I hope my children come and visit" uses the verb "hope" followed by a clause in the present subjunctive mood (without "will") for a future wish.
Morphology: "Got" is informal for "turned" or "became." "Becomes" is the third-person singular present tense of "become." "Made" is the past tense of "make." "Wrote" is the past tense of "write." "Hope" is present tense for a current feeling about the future.