Amidst the anguish and the pain
The tears and kindness too
My place has always been to offer
Sympathy to you

My shoulder’s there for you to cry on
My arms to hug you tight
My voice to murmur lovingly
And help you see who’s in the right

But lately it’s been getting harder
Others need me too
So am I supposed to give
One shoulder to them and another to you?

So when I need my own space
When I’m caught in the crossfire
When they say I do all things wrong
And you call me a liar

How do I control things?
Fix them as you want me to?
I am not all-powerful
And I cannot live just for you

The gray sky scowls down at me
The harsh wind whips my face
As if they both are screaming
“Just get back in your place!”

And I want to yell at them
And stop their bitter demands
I do not want to swallow
Anymore of their commands

I was not created
Simply to help you stand tall
And with all this weight on my shoulders
I fell that I’m going to fall

And so I need to push you
Gently but firmly as well
I need you to stand on your own two feet
To take this message as clear as a bell

I need to find myself now
To know just who I am
I will break down this imprisoning wall
Of helping all it takes a battering ram

I’m not saying that you can’t cry
Or that I won’t offer a shoulder
But from this moment on, I’m not
Simply your problem-holder

I am still your friend
But I am their friend too
And if you cannot deal with that
Then I should not be helping you

back to the highway that never ends