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When I Was a Child

by Janis Ian

on Society's Child: The Verve Recordings (1995), The Secret Life Of J. Eddy Fink (1968)

When I was a child
The days whispered by
In a half-seen memory of an angel's flight
People used to say -
You'll be old before your age
My bitter laughter would ring out at them

Once I was a child on the outside
Now I am a child on the inside
Sometimes I cry
I used to be a child

Sitting by a stream,
The night breeze shone on me
I swore to never leave
Once there was a boy
A breeze flew past
Through our laughter

Now there's no time
For sitting by a stream
I've got other things on my mind
Now there is no boy
I've left him in the past
Along with my love

When I was a child
The days whispered by
In a half-seen memory of an angel's flight
People used to say -
You'll be old before your age
My bitter laughter would ring out at them

Once I was a child in the daytime
Now I am a child of the nighttime
Sometimes I cry
I used to be a child