Loudon Wainwright III
When You Leave
Verse 1:
You left for camp
You left for school
Left for the coast when that was cool
You left women
One, a wife
To save your skin
You wrecked a life
When there's kids, it's not just one
Life you wreck
You're on the run
You go to town to start anew
But, those you left come after you

Chorus:
It's what you think
(What you think)
How you feel
(How you feel)
Though who can say if it's all real?

Verse 2:
The darndest thing is kids grow up
Some day some strange adults show up
The ones you left arrive in town
"That's nice" you say
"They'll bе around"
Perhaps they're just a bit bеreft
But they'll forgive the one who left
Sad stories can have happy ends
Perhaps now you can just be friends
Chorus:
It's what you think
(What you think)
How you feel
(How you feel)

Verse 3:
And you hope that your theory's real
Who would've thought or who could believe
Things go so badly when you leave
That skin you've got is growing slack
And the ones you left don't want you back
Your power's gone
It was pretend
The wife you left meant more to them
It's not just that they side with her
You left and who knew where you were
The reason that they came to town
Was just to make the place their own
You realized your greatest fear
You are so close but hardly here