In the sixth grade

I was wishing I was older

Not doing my work like I was supposed to

Laying on my floor with my comic books open

Just me, myself and me

And in the eighth grade

Had the world on my shoulders

Warm inside but the house was getting colder

Mom upstairs, and Dad on the sofa

Is this how it's meant to be?

Crawling down the path that you paved for me

Lying on the bed that you made for me

I ain't looking for prayers or sympathy

Just hear me out

Sure, we get older

And we get wiser

But don't try to tell me what to do

'Cause this kid's got problems too

Maybe you're bolder

A little bit stronger

Don't try to tell me what to do

'Cause this kid's got problems too

In the tenth grade

We were skipping class and fooling teachers

They never knew I was kissing her by the bleachers

All my friends, they said she was a keeper

She's the one for me

Finished twelfth grade

And once I graduated

They said, "Go get a job, you know, one so you can pay a rent"

No nine to five just show me where the stage is

'Cause that's the place for me

I've been crawling down the path that you paved for me

Lying on the bed that you made for me

I ain't looking for prayers or sympathy

Just hear me out

Sure, we get older

And we get wiser

But don't try to tell me what to do

'Cause this kid's got problems too

Maybe you're bolder

A little bit stronger

Don't try to tell me what to do

'Cause this kid's got problems too

We're not so different

(We're not so different)

We keep on making the same mistakes

We're not so different

(We're not so different)

Yeah, we keep on making the same mistakes

We're not so different

(We're not so different)

Yeah, we keep on making the same mistakes

We're not so different

(We're not so different)

We keep on making the same mistakes

Sure, we get older

And we get wiser (yeah)

But don't try to tell me what to do

'Cause this kid's got problems too

Maybe you're bolder

A little bit stronger

And don't try to tell me what to do

'Cause this kid's got problems too

Back in the sixth grade

I always wanted to be older

But Dad's been gone

And Mom was feeling lonesome

Trying to fill the empty space in the sofa

Just me, myself and me