A little girl pulled her hand from her mother and told her "not this time,"
"We can walk without one another, I swear that I'll be fine."
Her mother knew she had grown older and let her hands divide
Her mother knew she couldn't hold her or keep her at her side
A little girl moved away to a town where she knew she'd feel secure
City lights wouldn't let her break down but still she wanted more
'Cause her little girl dreams of growing into things that she could reach
Left those little girl dreams below the surface she would breach
She said, "I can't stay here, I haven't got the time."
"Life goes by, dear, I won't be left behind"
"And someday, I'll reach the place where I won't have to run."
"There, I won't be afraid to say that I am done."
So the girl moved in with her lover, afraid of being alone
They built all of her dreams with each other and made themselves a home
But at night when the girl would roll over she'd wonder what went wrong
Every night with a hand on her shoulder he'd tell her "life is long"
Couldn't stay with a man who would settle for nothing more than love
Wasn't part of her plan, tied to what she'd grown tired of
She cried over and over, not knowing what words would move him on
He cried over and over, knowing the girl he loved was gone
She said, "I can't stay here, I haven't got the time."
"Life goes by, dear, I won't be left behind"
"And someday, I'll reach the place where I won't have to run."
"There, I won't be afraid to say that I am done."
Couldn't give her a reason more to stay
Every bit of her heart the girl grew more and more afraid
Couldn't give her the patience or a guide
Every bit of her heart she felt another second die
I heard her shout, I'd get out, let me out, get me out!
"And someday, I'll reach the place where I won't have to run."
"There, I won't be afraid to say that I am done."
When she loses her way, there won't be a train to take her back
When she loses her way, she'll have a new angle of attack
She'll never remember the people who almost had her caught
She'll never surrender to all of the joy they may have brought
She said, "I can't stay here, I haven't got the time."
"Life goes by, dear, I won't be left behind"
"Someday, I'll reach the place where I won't have to run."
"There, I won't be afraid to say that I am done."