[Verse 1]
You can fake it for a while
Bite your tongue and smile
Like every mother does her ugly child

But it starts to leaking out
Like spittle from a cloud
Amassed resentment pelting ounce and pound

[Chorus 1]
You entertaining any doubt
Cause you had to know that I was fond of you
Fond of Y-O-U
Though I knew you masked your disdain

I can see the change was just too hard for us
Hard for us
You always had to hold the reins
But where I'm headed, you just don't know the way

[Verse 2]
So affections fade away
Or do adults just learn to play
The most ridiculous, repulsive games

All our favorite ruddy sons
And their double-barreled guns
You'd better hurry rabbit, run, run, run
Cause mincing you is fun
And there's a lot of hungry hatters in this world set on taking it over

But brittle, thorny stems
They break before they bend
And neither one of us is one of them

[Chorus 2]
And the tears will never mend
Cause you had it in for me so long ago
Boy, I still don't know
I don't know why and I don't care

Well, hardly anymore
If you'd only seen yourself hating me
Hating me
When I'd been so much more than fair
But then you'd have to lay those feelings bare

One thing I know has still got you scared
Yeah, all that cold ire
And never once aired on a dare

[Guitar octave tremolo]

[Guitar solo]
[Chorus 3]
You had to know that I was fond of you
Fond of Y-O-U
So I took your licks at the time

And a change like that is just so hard to do
Hard to do
Don't let it whip-crack your life

And I'll bow out from the fight
Those old pious sisters were right
The worst part is over
Now get back on that horse and ride