Dont Ever Let Your Children Grow Up

D                                     F#m
That was the way, that was the way it was
            Bm                                            G
When you're five years old and don't have nowhere else to run
       D                                              F#m
Except into your mother's arms, where she held you so tight
           Bm                                                     G
And you're scared of the dark so you sleep with your little night light

         D                                                    F#m
When you walked up to school and everyone there was your best friend
         Bm                                         G
When you learned your numbers and shapes and played pretend
           D                                               F#m
You didn't mind that your hair was a mess, you were so carefree
           Bm                                       G
You didn't know how cold and cruel this world would one day be

[Chorus]
Em              A
We were just so young
               D
We should have known
   F#m         Bm
We should have known
         Em                                A                         D
That one day we'd hate our bodies and we'd orbit around buttons on a phone
   F#m         Bm
We should have known
         Em                                   A                                  D
That one day we'd pluck our eyebrow hairs and wonder why the cool kids stared at me
   F#m              Bm
Oh why'd it have to be
    Em
Our imaginations have run dry
   A                                 D
We hate ourselves and have a nightly cry
            F#m            Bm
And then we act like we're fine
     Em                                 A                           D
It's alcohol and bombs and drugs, don't ever let your children grow up

    F#m         Bm
(Oh oh oh oh oh oh)

D F#m

[Verse 2]
         D                                                     F#m
We would swing on the swings and jump off and pretend we could fly
       Bm                                             G
But as soon as we blinked we grew up and we're junior high
       D                                                       F#m
So our dads dropped us off at the park and we stayed out 'till ten
       Bm                                        G
So the makeup comes out and we think we need the perfect boyfriend

[Chorus]
Em              A
We were just so young
              D
How didn't we know
    F#m       Bm
How didn't we know
             Em                         A                                          D
That we'd be independent on our own and lose more friends while traveling down the road
        F#m       Bm
Oh, how didn't we know
             Em                               A                                     D
That there's more to life than sleepovers and jocks turn out worse than the science nerds
    F#m                   Bm
But somehow that all gets blurred
           Em
And some relationships they end real fast
    A                                      D
And though you want you might never get it back
          F#m             Bm
The doors close just like that
       Em                                   A                           D
It's depression and it's broken love, don't ever let your children grow up

    F#m         Bm
(Oh oh oh oh oh oh)

D F#m

(Vocals)

[Outro]
Em              A
We're no longer young
               D
So now that we know
   F#m         Bm
So now that we know
          Em                                      A                              D
That this world could use some turning 'round, if only we could find some common ground
         F#m   Bm
But it's up to us
      Em                  A                       D              F#m           Bm
And although at times it gets so rough, you have got to let your children grow up
   F#m         Bm
Oh oh oh oh oh oh
               Em                        A                             D
Yeah, you have got to let your children, got to let your children grow up