Don't Ever Let Your Children Grow Up - Maddie Poppe

That was the way, that was the way it was

When you’re five years old and don’t have nowhere else to run

Except into your mother’s arms, where she held you so tight

And you’re scared of the dark so you sleep with your little night light

When you walked up to school and everyone there was your best friend

When you learned your numbers and shapes and played pretend

You didn’t mind that your hair was a mess, you were so carefree

You didn’t know how cold and cruel this world would one day be

We were just so young

We should have known

We should have known

That one day we’d hate our bodies and we’d orbit around buttons on a phone

We should have known

That one day we’d pluck our eyebrow hairs and wonder why the cool kids stared

at me

Oh why’d it have to be

Our imaginations have run dry

We hate ourselves and have a nightly cry

And then we act like we’re fine

It’s alcohol and bombs and drugs, don’t ever let your children grow up

(Oh oh oh oh oh oh)

We would swing on the swings and jump off and pretend we could fly

But as soon as we blinked we grew up and we’re junior high

So our dads dropped us off at the park and we stayed out 'till ten

So the makeup comes out and we think we need the perfect boyfriend

We were just so young

How didn’t we know

How didn’t we know

That we’d be independent on our own and lose more friends while traveling down

the road

Oh, how didn’t we know

That there’s more to life than sleepovers and jocks turn out worse than the

science nerds

But somehow that all gets blurred

And some relationships they end real fast

And though you want you might never get it back

The doors close just like that

It’s depression and it’s broken love, don’t ever let your children grow up

(Oh oh oh oh oh oh)

We’re no longer young

So now that we know

So now that we know

That this world could use some turning 'round, if only we could find some

common ground

But it’s up to us

And although at times it gets so rough, you have got to let your children grow

up

Yeah, you have got to let your children, got to let your children grow up