He's the one thing I have now
The others went away
And I can't afford to lose him, too
He has dreams he must chase now
And they might lead him astray
So what is it that I'm supposed to do?
I pull tighter
But he gets loose
I confront him
But he makes an excuse
I fear I may be losing my touch
It's a burden, you see
To have such wisdom in me
'Cause he knows too little
And I know too much
Yeah, he knows too little
And I know much
He needs his independence
He needs to be free
That's fine as long as he is still
Dependent on me
The world has lots to offer
Lots of misery and pain
And Hemingway would still be here
If he'd learned to abstain!
You go to school for learning
But this they will not teach
They like it when you're drowning
Miles away from any beach
So why go through the anguish?
The suffering and strife?
Be happy with a less unhappy life, oh
So be careful, be prudent and wise
Don't become someone I can't recognize
Keep away from empty vessels and such
Be the man, the boy that I raised
With a mother who's crazed
That you know too little
And I know too much
Yeah, he knows too little
And I know too much