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" Got these chains, hang around our necks People want to strangle us with 'em, before we take our first breath Afraid of change, afraid of stayin' the same When temptation calls, we just look away This name is the hairshirt I wear And this hairshirt 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 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 everythin' around me stays the same It's the hairshirt I wear And this hairshirt is woven from, 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, couldn't tell you, 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, I watched TV, laid awake all night And we've got these chains, hang around our necks People want to strangle us with 'em, before we take our first breath Afraid of change, afraid of sayin' the same when temptation calls Yea, hey And this name is the hairshirt I wear And this hairshirt is woven from, is woven from Is woven from hair This song is the cross that I bear Bear with me, bear with me, bear with me Be with me tonight 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" Hey, yea