Lyrics What a Good Boy - Barenaked Ladies

What a Good Boy

When I was born, they looked at me and said
«What a good boy, what a smart boy, what a strong boy»
And when you were born, they looked at you and said
«What a good girl, what a smart girl, what a pretty girl»
We’ve got these chains hanging around our necks
People want to strangle us with them
Before we take our first breath
Afraid of change, afraid of staying the same
When temptation calls
We just look away
This name is the hair shirt I wear
And this hair shirt is woven from your brown hair
This song is the cross that I bear
Bear with me, bear with me, bear with me
Be with me tonight
I know that it isn’t right
Be with me tonight
I go to school, I write exams
If I pass, if I fail, if I drop out
Does anyone give a damn?
And if they do
They’ll soon forget
'Cause it won’t take much for me
To show my life ain’t over yet
I wake up scared, I wake up strange
I wake up wondering if anything in my life is ever going to change
I wake up scared, I wake up strange
And everything around me stays the same
I couldn’t tell you that I was wrong
Chickened out, grabbed a pen and paper
Sat down and I wrote this song
I couldn’t tell you that you were right
So instead I looked in the mirror
And I watched TV, laid awake all night