In a poor little neighborhood
I hung out with other poor little kids like me
I was a girl who only befriended boys
Cuz I didn't like makeup and skirts
We used to play lots of games
Board games, sports games
Games on the one computer at the Boys & Girls club
But the best of all, we played a childhood classic:
Tag, a game fit for kings.
I would run so fast, I thought I was faster than cars
And then I would fall, and they'd help me up
They'd say nice things and wipe my tears away
And take me to my mommy to get a bandage
For something as little as a scraped knee
I did the same for them, of course
They were my friends and friends help each other
I guess at one point, they decided it was embarrassing
Embarrassing to be helped by a little girl like me
My mom met a man and worked hard
We were able to move out of that poor little neighborhood
Barely grew an inch, though
Sometimes I see those boys walking around
They're all grown up now too
Now they're saying those big kid words
Curses and slurs and being mean
They've grown to hate anyone and everyone not like them
What happened to those sweet little boys?
What happened to the kind words and bandages?