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 [bad word] 

And if I 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
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

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