CHILDHOODS END

i never thought i'd see the day
i was blindsided by the police
they've always been direct and upfront
making everything easy to see

but this order by the king to beat me down
by any means necessary
their sudden assault for political gain
has made me a little bit wary

they say that they like helping people
and i've always believed that true
but maybe i just don't qualify
cause i'm not in their book of who's who

it's not that i started out in life
with any focus on the police
but as a youth a cop lived next to me
and the kids thought that was pretty neat

it wasn't me who went looking for them
it was they who were looking for me
a very dark day in 1982
wanting to see who this madman might be

they busted my chops and gave a stern lecture
"you can't take the law into your hands
you have to call the emergency number
and turn it over to the trained policeman"

and then a time in '84
when crazy was still a little new
they said, "it's time to leave this alone,
you have better things to do"

then in '87, '92 and 2002
when i was straddling that black and white line
sometimes more helpful than medical professionals
they were an anchor for my drifting mind

there was never any hostility
and i was never treated bad
they said you're not exactly the criminal type
but you may be a little bit mad

idols fall and gods will tumble
they always fall from grace
when atop my shattered pedestal
i put the best of the human race

i'm much too old for these childhood ideals
and this one will never mend
i let down my guard and let them get close
i guess this is childhoods end