1
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 'round 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
But 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 gonna change
I wake up scared
I wake up strange
And everything around me stays the same
It's the hair shirt I wear
And this hair shirt is woven from
It's 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
But be with me tonight
I couldn't tell you
I was wrong
Chickened out grabbed a pen and a paper
Sat down and I wrote this song
I couldn't tell you
That you were right
So instead I looked in the mirror
Watched TV, laid awake all night
We've got these chains
Hanging round 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, yeah
This name is the hair shirt I wear
And this hair shirt is woven from
It's woven from
It's woven from hair
This song is the cross that I bear
Bear with me
Bear with me
Bear with me
Be with me tonight
And 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, yeah, yeah
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 'round 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
But 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 gonna change
I wake up scared
I wake up strange
And everything around me stays the same
It's the hair shirt I wear
And this hair shirt is woven from
It's 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
But be with me tonight
I couldn't tell you
I was wrong
Chickened out grabbed a pen and a paper
Sat down and I wrote this song
I couldn't tell you
That you were right
So instead I looked in the mirror
Watched TV, laid awake all night
We've got these chains
Hanging round 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, yeah
This name is the hair shirt I wear
And this hair shirt is woven from
It's woven from
It's woven from hair
This song is the cross that I bear
Bear with me
Bear with me
Bear with me
Be with me tonight
And 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, yeah, yeah
Add your thoughts
Log in now to tell us what you think this song means.
Don’t have an account? Create an account with SongMeanings to post comments, submit lyrics, and more. It’s super easy, we promise!
First of all, what the hell is a hairshirt?? lol
This song completely describes my transition from college to the working world. After graduation and spending so many years in a place that often felt more like home to me than my childhood home ever did scared the heck out of me. I knew though it was time to move on with my life, but like this song says--"Afraid of change, afraid of staying the same"-- Welcome to the new world, take a step into it!
BNL--especially before they got big via "One Week"--rock!!
@ELS24 'Hair shirt' is an idiom:<br /> <br /> "if someone wears a hair shirt, they choose to make their life unpleasant by not having or experiencing anything that gives them pleasure" (idioms.thefreedictionary.com/a+hair+shirt)<br /> <br /> Makes perfect sense for this wonderful song.