Paula Cole - Silent lyrics

When Karl and his sister united
Me in their tribe i felt a strength
In numbers embolding my shyness
I laughed at other people
At their bodies, at their hair
I became the vicious girl
Parroting her despair
And one day cold as calculation
Karl went too far
Intentional in his hurting
Physical in his war
To the shyest one of all of us
The tenderest lonely heart
I watched in horror, helpless, silent
The moment passed me, gone

Flying to the world tour
Twenty-five and free
With condescending attitudes
From British men in cliques
When I imbibed too much Schnapps one night
In a Swiss hotel one tour manager felt this
Was the green light, pressed me down
On the bed, by my surprise
Dick and tongue pressed hard
What a sad excuse of a man
Thinking this is what one does
Showing him out with deep disdain
I kept the truth concealed
Cutting myself off from my own feelings
I kept on in silent hurt

My introversion in the kitchen
Thirty years past, amongst the Moms
I don’t share with them my secrets
Staying safe from all their gossip
Their husbands in the parlor
Huddled close together
Palpable discomfort when I join
Them in their circle
Looking for a conversation I
Listen to them speak
Jockeying one-upmanship
Subconscious insecurity
I add my twenty cents to the
Room how flatly it does land
Unaccustomed to a woman of mind
They want to conquer me instead
"Hush, child!" I hear my great
Grandmother whisper in my mind
It remains as relevant today here
Amongst this boring party
I don’t know where I stand
I go rogue, go quiet quicksand
Folding into myself, losing voice
To a moment passed again

Absorbing painful lessons
Standing on my ground
I advocate, I’m blue in the face
I’m the leader of the crowd
But inside I’m the coward
Still the little girl
Bystanding in my silence next
To Karl bullying her
For nothing is so simple
The bully is the weak
Afraid to be tormented
Tormenting for pre-empting
For Karl yearned for Father, for love
For attention he acted out the monster
Inside his lonely hurting
There is never enough love
There is never enough listening
There is never enough of our mothers
To give us all we’re missing
I took on the silence
Mandated by generations
But no more shall I be the
Mute and deaf and dumb submissive