John McCutcheon Different
A father tucked a little girl
Into bed last night
"Tell me," said the little girl
"What's wrong and what is right"
I learned to always tell the truth
Be honest, never lie
I'm punished when I tell a fib
So I've got to ask you why
When grandpa called up on the phone
You said to say you weren't at home...
That's different
Is what her father told her
It's different
You'll understand when you get older
Sometimes grownups have to lie
But kids should never... don't ask why
It's just different
A father tucked a little girl
Into bed last night
"Tell me," said the little girl
"What's wrong and what is right"
I was taught to clean my room
To pick up all my mess
To leave it cleaner than before
But I must confess
It's so confusing when I find
The garbage grownups leave behind...
That's different
Is what her father told her
It's different
You'll understand when you get older
It's complicated, yes it's true
There're limits to what we can do
It's just different
A father tucked a little girl
Into bed last night
"Tell me," said the little girl
"What's wrong and what is right"
In school we're taught to settle fights
With words instead of fists
It takes courage to control
It's stronger to resist
What are all these lessons for
When we're so quick to go to war?
That's different
Is what her father told her
It's different
You'll understand when you get older
Despite the lessons learned in schools
Grownups get to fudge the rules
It's just different
Parents find it great relief
To compromise all their beliefs
It's different
Than what we thought we'd see
So different
Than what it ought to be
Imagine how our world would seem
If we all lived up to our dreams
It'd be different
