Rodney Crowell: The Man In Me

Man In Me
There's a man in me
He's cold and he's hard
He's got an eye for deception
He's always on guard
He's swimming in concrete
Drowning in fear
And he keeps it all locked in his heart

This man is a tyrant, a fault finding hack
You can't tell him nothing
There's no turning back
He leaves blood on the highway
and scattered debris
He crawls from the wreckage
but he still doesn't see
He's alive
The man is jive

There's a man in the mirror
I don't like his looks
His teeth they are crooked
His hands are like hooks
He speaks 4 letter language
Because his mind is so small
His voice is like venom
I don't like him at all
God, I gotta get away from the man in me

She says
What are you afraid of
There's no need to judge
You know I can help you
But you won't even budge
Pretty flowers surround you
but all you can smell is a rat
She says
Why do you insist on your head in the sand
Building walls all around you, you don't understand
These ways are outmoded,
but all you can change is your hat
The man in me don't wanna know nothing about that

There's a man in the closet
He wants to come out
He wants to be noticed
But he's so filled with doubt
He wants to be well known and famous
But he's so filled with pride
The keys to his fortune stay locked up inside
Can it be the man in me?

She says
Now what are you afraid of?
There's nothing to fear
You want me to help
But you won't let me near
In your heart you can hear me
But all you believe are your eyes
Tell me why you're convinced
That a fist in your face
is all you deserve
From love you've misplaced
The truth is salvation
But all you believe in are lies
The man in me wants to believe,
but he won't even try

There's man in me,
and he's so full of hate
He's so misdirected
He thinks it's too late
Pours salt on the wounds
Only Time wants to heal
He's dying inside
And he don't wanna feel
Anything
The man is strange