Some are teethed on a silver spoon,
With the stars strung for a rattle;
I cut my teeth as the black racoon--
For implements of battle.
Some are swaddled in silk and down,
And heralded by a star;
They swathed my limbs in a sackcloth gown
On a night that was black as tar.
For some, godfather and goddame
This line is a possible reference to the birth of Jesus. Cullen is comparing his birth to the birth of more fortunate people. In the story of the birth of Jesus, shepherds and the 3 Wise Men are summoned by a star, and told to follow it until they reach the baby Jesus, because they knew he was special. When Cullen says he was born a night as black as tar, he is making his birth the exact opposite of that of Jesus, without celebration, joy, or anticipation. No one wanted his birth.