You thought you could free the slaves
By filling out the propper paperwork
'til you turned out all your pockets
And realized they never were
You pulled your kids out of the public school
And resigned to your reverence
And you set a torch to the old duck pond
Where your heartache took up residence
You were all dressed up
But you didn't know what
All the commotion inside you was for
What did we expect after all that shame
Some familiar stretch of crippling faith
What did we expect after all that fear
Some inheritance to make the past run clear
Thought we could concentrate
Just hard enough to let those feelings in
We were both stuck in the turning lane
But that's where we've always been
I guess we took our love in one big dose
And retired to the peasantry
Saying: paradise exists
But it is locked away inside our memories
You couldn't sit still
Not while you knew well
That all the commotion was held in your name
What did we expect after all that shame
Some familiar stretch of crippling faith
What did we expect after all that fear
Some inheritance to make the past run clear