Anna Begins

My friend assures me, it's all or nothing,

I am not worried, I am not overly concerned,

My friend implores me, for one time only,

Make an exception, I am not worried,

Wrap her up in a package of lies, send her off to a coconut island,

I am not worried, I am not overly concerned about the status of my emotions,

Oh, she says, you're changing, we're always changing,

It does not bother me to say, this isn't love,

'Cause if you don't want to talk about it then, it isn't love,

And I guess I'm gonna have to live with that,

But I'm sure there's something in a shade of gray or something in between,

And I can always change my name, if that's what you mean.

My friend assures me, it's all or nothing,

But I am not really worried, I am not overly concerned,

You try to tell yourself, the things you try to tell yourself,

To make yourself forget, to make yourself forget,

I am not worried if it's love, she said, then,

We're going to have to think about the consequences,

And she can't stop shaking and I can't stop touching her,

And this time when kindness falls like rain, it washes her away,

And Anna begins to change her mind,

These seconds when I'm shaking leave me shuddering for days, she says,

And I'm not ready for this sort of thing,

But I'm not gonna break and I'm not gonna worry about it anymore,

I'm not gonna bend and I'm not gonna break,

I'm not going to worry about it anymore, no, no, no, no, no.

It seems like I should say, as long as this is love,

But it's not all that easy, so maybe I should,

Snap her up in a butterfly net, pin her down on a photograph album,

I am not worried, 'cause I've done this sort of thing before,

But then I start to think about the consequences,

And I don't get no sleep in a quiet room,

And then this time when kindness falls like rain,

It washes me away and Anna begins to change my mind,

Every time she sneezes I believe it's love,

And oh lord, I'm not ready for this sort of thing.

She's talking in her sleep, it's keeping me awake,

And Anna begins to toss and turn,

And every word is nonsense but I understand,

And oh lord, I'm not ready for this sort of thing,

Her kindness bangs a gong, it's moving me along,

And Anna begins to fade away, it's chasing me away,

She disappears and oh lord, I'm not ready for this sort of thing.