You Don't Have To

(album: Pale Green Ghosts - 2013)

Remember walking hand in hand side by side?
We walked the dogs and took long strolls to the park
Except we never had dogs
And never went to the park.

Remember how we used to fuck all night long?
Neither do I because I always passed out.
I needed lots of the booze
To handle the pain.

You don't have to pretend to care.
You don't have to say things that you don't mean.
You don't have to pretend to care.
You don't have to say things that you don't mean.
It just embarrasses me
And makes you look like a fool.

Remember when the tenderness stopped,
And the kindness turned to pity and disgust,
And the smiles were stopped
Before they could start,

And understanding was now just a tool
(We used it every chance we got to be cruel),
And we cringed because
We couldn't make ourselves stop?

You don't have to pretend to care.
You don't have to say things that you don't mean.
You don't have to pretend to care.
You don't have to say things that you don't mean.
It just embarrasses me
And makes you look like a fool.

There are days when I think about you,
And on those days I really feel like a fool
Because you don't deserve
To have somebody think about you.

I feel so stupid 'cause I let myself down.
I acted like a motherfucking clown
At a circus
On the outskirts of town.

You don't have to pretend to care.
You don't have to say things that you don't mean.
You don't have to pretend to care.
You don't have to say things that you don't mean.
It just embarrasses me
Because you think you're so fucking cool.