Carefully Rehearsed
How can I say this so I don't look stupid
How can I say this so I don't look dumb
I'm set alone like a deserted island
Sucking my thumb
"Only the strong survive" is what you told me
That's what you told me when I asked you why
Why all your faces were a fabrication
And your name was a lie
And I'm defending
The sweetest kind of nightmare, neverending
A self-inflicted curse
And all six figures
Takes the small and makes them bigger
Ten times louder
And more carefully rehearsed
The carrot's dangling and we were hungry
And every single morning seems the same
Give me a reason and I'll start forgetting
Forgetting my name
"And even if there isn't any money
It's still a real important photo op"
And even if it isn't funny now
You're gonna scream when you finally stop
And I'm required
Bound by law to be a hopeless liar
In every single verse
And all six figures
Takes the small and makes them bigger
Louder and more carefully
Rehearsed and then rehearsed again
Until I can't tell when
Your words are real or just the spin
You're putting on the mess you're in
How can I say this so I don't look stupid
How can I say this so I don't look dumb
How am I ever crawling out from under
Under my thumb
And I'm defending
The sweetest kind of nightmare, neverending
A self-inflicted curse
And all six figures
Takes the small and makes them bigger
Ten times louder
And more carefully rehearsed
(Ottawa, 2001)