Different - John McCutcheon

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