I'm a tangled up puppet,

Spinning round in knots,

And the more I see what I used to be,

The less of you I've got.



There was a time that you curled up in my lap; like a child

You'd cling to me smiling, yours eyes wide and wild

Now you slip through my arms, wave a passing hello

Twist away and toss a kiss, laughing as you go



You used to say "Read me a story and sing me songs of love"

For you were Princess Paradise like your wings of a dove

Now I chase you and tease you trying to remake you my own

But you just turn away and say "please leave me alone."



And I'm a tangled up puppet

All hanging in your strings

I'm a butterfly in a spider's web

Fluttering my wings



And the more that I keep dancing

And spinning round in knots

The more I see what I used to be

And the less of you I've got



You are a drawer full of makeup and rinses and things

You keep changing your moods like your earrings and rings

But tonight while we played tag for five minutes in the yard

Just for a moment I caught you off guard

But now you write your secret poems

In a room just for your dreams

You don't find time to talk to me

About the things you mean

And what I mean is--



I have watched you take shape from a jumble of parts

And find the grace and form of a fine work of art

Hey, you, my brand new woman, newly come into your own

Don't you know that you don't need to grow up all alone