Here I stand judged and bothered by a man
With a feather around his neck
I traded his misspent youth for my better sense
I got a thank you very much
Then he split and left me with the check
Why do I feel so bad, feel so sad
You know he told me that I would
I never learn nothing but the hard way
Cause at the time it felt so good
A young mother with a nursing child sat plainly on the ground
She rocked and rocked that child to sleep sweet, on her bossom brown
Our eye's met for a moment then she looked away
The child cried out in hunger there was nothing else to say
Why do I feel so bad, feel so sad
You know he told me that I would
I never learn nothing but the hard way
Cause at the time it felt so good
I dreampt I saw a bandit he was pointing with his gun
I don't think he meant me well no it seemed my luck was done
The channel surfers raged on as he shot the children down
There ain't nothing makes me sadder than to watch my mother frown
Why do I feel so bad, feel so sad
You know he told me that I would
I never learn nothing but the hard way
Cause at the time it felt so good
I know this guy he keeps asking to see my inner self
He's lookin, lookin, lookin and the book's right on the shelf
So I point out diagram forty two line seventeen
It's a graph of intent baby is this what you need?
Why do I feel so bad, feel so sad
You know he told me that I would
I never learn nothing but the hard way
Cause at the time it felt so good
Bored ficticious characters inhabiting the earth
Misplacing value and finding girth
Longing for silence they build jack hammer fences
To tie, tear and castigate their long tortured senses
Why do I feel so bad, feel so sad
You know he told me that I would
I never learn nothing but the hard way
Cause at the time it felt so good
I headed down to New Orleans to see what do I know
It turns out not very much oh the river told me so
No surprise oh no surprise this I already knew
You can run but you can never hide when the river comes for you
Why do I feel so bad, feel so sad
You know he told me that I would
I never learn nothing but the hard way
Cause at the time it felt so good