Kid Inside
John Mellencamp Lyrics

One time only, if you don't
This is your one and only chance, if you don't succeed it's tough luck.

Get it right this time, tough shit, tough shit,
You have to get it right this time or you'll face the consequences.

Everybody ready, tell me when, say when your
Is everybody ready? Let's get started when you say you are ready.

Rolling here, a one, a two, a one, two, three, die
We are starting and counting down, one, two, three, then it's time to go.

I press my face to the window
I am looking out the window with my face pressed up against it.

I ran my fingers through my hair
I ran my fingers through my hair, perhaps out of nervousness or frustration.

I watched my life go around in a circle
I felt like my life was going in circles, with nothing changing or improving.

And I realized that no body but me cares
I came to the realization that nobody cares about me or the things I am going through.

And I saw the hurt of my system
I saw how my way of living was hurting me.

And I felt the madness of our faults conforming
I felt the craziness of our continued mistakes and faults.

And I walked around your house for hours
I walked around your house for hours, perhaps trying to find something or avoid something.

And I could feel that you had me in some kinda of stranglehold
I knew that you had me in some kind of chokehold, unable to move or act freely.

And I don't know why you said those bad things about me
I don't understand why you said those hurtful things about me.

Well it must be the way of protecting some kind of crazy pride
I think you said those things to protect your own pride, even if it was irrational or extreme.

Yeah you always direct your attention toward others
You always focus your energy and criticisms toward other people.

And look you know, it's so easy to see that my wounds have been open
It's easy to see that my emotional wounds are still raw and painful.

Wide
(Continuation of previous line) - They are still wide open and hurting.

[Chorus:]
Chorus begins.

And you can just kid the kid inside so many times
You can only make fun of my inner child so many times before it starts to hurt me deeply.

You can just kid the kid 'til he grabs you by the throat
Eventually, after enough teasing, my inner child might lash out violently against you.

And is choking your young ass blind
My inner child will metaphorically 'choke' you until you can no longer see clearly.

And you just kid the kid 'til you're walking on the tightrope in my my Mind
After enough teasing, my inner child might push me to the brink of insanity, like walking on a tightrope in my mind.

Yeah, you can just kid the kid inside so many times
Reiteration of the previous message that there is a limit to how much teasing one can take.

Well it wasn't funny, no, when I was bleeding all over the table
The pain and suffering I've experienced is no laughing matter, especially in this specific scenario where I was physically injured.

Yeah, now as I recall, hey it wasn't funny at all
Looking back on the situation, it's clear that there was nothing amusing or funny about it.

But you kept on laughing, huh, like it was some kind of party, yeah
You continued to laugh and enjoy the situation, even when it was obvious that it was hurting me.

Your always looking to belittle someone to make you feel tall
You always try to bring other people down to make yourself feel more important or powerful.

Yea well, it's the same reaction in every situation
You always react in the same way in every scenario, belittling others and enjoying their pain.

Do you really think it's so necessary to be so mean
Is it really necessary for you to be so cruel and hurtful to other people?

Yeah, and it's hard for me to justify my position
It's difficult for me to defend myself or argue against your cruelty, because it feels like I'm outnumbered and alone.

Yeah, when everything that I'm saying can be said bad about Mr. Springsteen, yea
You can attack me and everything I stand for, but even my hero, Bruce Springsteen, can be criticized in the same way.

[Chorus]
Chorus repeats.

Yeah you know
Addressing someone specifically.

Yeah, well I really really am the first to desire you
I am deeply attracted to you and care about you a lot.

And I feel so badly for his misery
I empathize with the pain and suffering that he's experiencing.

Well I'll don't throw five dollars, to get into the kitty
I'm not going to try to buy my way into your heart or life by offering money or gifts.

And I'll bet my ass that this problem isn't me
I am confident that I am not the problem in this situation or relationship.

Now now don't get me wrong wrong
Don't misunderstand me or take this the wrong way.

Hey now don't you feel sorry, yeah
Don't feel bad for me or pity me.

'Cause there's no one dead or alive that I'd rather be
I am content in my current state of being and wouldn't want to be anyone else, living or dead.

And I've learned to deal with my mortal existence
I've come to terms with the fact that I am only human and am capable of making mistakes and experiencing pain.

And the moral is, now don't you go believe nothing that you can't see, Yeah
The lesson to be learned is to only believe in what you can see and experience for yourself, instead of blindly trusting others.

[Chorus]
Chorus repeats and ends the song.

(Ha ha ha, we'll keep it)
Possible note to the engineer or recording team to keep some audio or sound effects in the final recording.