Oldest Child

Oldest Child - Music and Lyrics by Zoe Cummins

I was the scrapbooks and the curled hair

The hand-me-downs' first wear

The look at your sister and do what she does

The topic of conversations

The highest expectations

And whatever mama thought that I was

But when you're precious as an angel

You're fragile as a bomb

Sooner or later I'd have to go off

So I grabbed all my things

Put my feelings in songs

And just like that I was gone

Oh I try to set an example

I try to pass down some answers

Oh I was just the first trial

And I had to walk through that fire

That's how it goes when you're the oldest child

So now I'm writing here from Nashville

Still looking for a big deal

And tryin' to convince my sisters I am

But when you grow up never knocked down

You find out through a big town

Just exactly where you stand

But I've always had

More pressure than diamonds

I might go down hard

But I'll go down fightin'

You can put on my grave in permanent writing

That I played every card in my hand

Oh I try to set an example

I try to pass down some answers

Oh I was just the first trial

And I had to walk through that fire

That's how it goes when you're the oldest child

Now dreams ain't just secrets

Can't lock em up and keep them buried away

No matter how wild

God is the preacher

But he needed a teacher

So he sent the oldest child