Trouble Child
Joni Mitchell (1943) Lyrics

Up in a sterilized room
You feel confined, subdued and limited.

Where they let you be lazy
You are allowed to relax and do nothing productive.

Knowing your attitude's all wrong
Others think your mindset is negative and needs improvement.

And you got to change
You need to alter your behavior or mindset.

And that's not easy
Changing is a difficult process to undertake.

Dragon shining with all values known
The temptations that lure you to stay in your current state of mind.

Dazzling you, keeping you from your own
The distractions that prevent you from being your true self.

Where is the lion in you to defy him
What part of you will resist these temptations and distractions?

When you're this weak
It's hard to resist due to lack of strength.

And this spacey
You feel disconnected or indifferent to what is happening around you.

So what are you going to do about it
You need to take action to change your situation.

You can't live life and you can't leave it
Your current state is unsustainable, yet you cannot abandon it either.

Advice and religion, you can't take it
Others' well-meaning guidance or beliefs do not resonate with you.

You can't seem to believe it
You are skeptical of anyone's help or advice and it's hard to trust anyone.

The peacock is afraid to parade
You are scared to show off your true potential or skills.

You're under the thumb of the maid
You are controlled or oppressed by someone weaker or inferior to you.

You really can't give love in this condition
You cannot offer love or affection when you are struggling with your own troubles.

Still you know how you need it
You understand the importance of love and affection, but struggle to give it or receive it.

They open and close you
Others often manipulate or use you for their own benefit.

Then they talk like they know you
People often speak as if they understand who you are or what you're going through, but they don't really.

They don't know you
Nobody really knows your struggle or your true self.

They're friends and they're foes, too
Even your friends can be deceitful or harmful to you.

Trouble child
Your pain and struggle make you feel childish or helpless.

Breaking like the waves at Malibu
You feel like you're constantly crashing and overwhelmed by your struggles, like waves in the ocean.

So why does it come as such a shock?
You're surprised that nobody can truly understand your pain or struggles.

To know you really have no one
You feel lonely in your struggle and nobody truly supports you.

Only a river of changing faces
People enter and exit your life constantly, leaving you feeling adrift.

Looking for an ocean
You seek a bigger purpose or meaning in your life.

They trickle through your leaky plans
Your dreams and aspirations often fail or aren't fully realized.

Another dream over the dam
Another opportunity lost or dream crushed.

And you're lying in some room
You're alone and feeling trapped in your thoughts or circumstances.

Feeling like your right to be human
You feel like your basic human needs and emotions are being denied.

Is going over too
You feel like you're losing the very essence of who you are.

Well, some are going to knock you
Some people will be judgmental or critical of your struggles and failures.

And some'll try to clock you
Some people will be violent or aggressive towards you.

You know it's really hard
You understand how difficult it is to overcome adversity.

To talk sense to you
It's hard for anyone to offer realistic advice or guidance to you.

Trouble child
You still feel like a helpless and troubled person.

Breaking like the waves at Malibu
You're still overwhelmed by your struggles and feel like you're at the mercy of your circumstances.