The only one she told was little sister

Woke her in the middle of the night

So happy to be leaving, and he was all she ever wanted

Her bags were packed and standing at her side

She wore the coat her mom gave her for Christmas

She waited for a man and for a train

People on the platform must have wondered

Her tears were falling as the morning came

That was the first time she cried in front of strangers

The first time she showed the world her pain

And she swore that it would be the only time they'd see

No stranger would ever see her cry again

But it didn't matter what she wished for

Didn't matter what she swore

Didn't matter how he treated her

She kept on coming back for more

So many strangers, so many years

On city streets, subway cars, movie lines, alone in bars

Strangers pretended not to see her tears

Then finally, she found a way to leave him

There was a man she knew just waiting for his chance

Her father thanked the Lord as he walked her down the aisle

'Cause he knew this one would treat her good at last

She saw her life behind a secret curtain

No one in that church imagined what she missed

She heard a distant train, and she heard the word forever

He lifted up her veil, and then they kissed

There was a time she cried in front of strangers

But she learned what grownups do with pain

She learned to smile and hide the tears she'll always feel inside

No stranger would ever see her cry again