Pride and the Pallor

Papa had a wife and kids, he kept them on a leash

And he bid them all to do his every deed

When he was a kid, he was treated just the same

So he hid his feelings from his family

Lost as an island out at sea

Resistant to the gentle waves of empathy

Yeah, papa and his family always on parade

Tearing through the turnstiles, weekender's charade

But time will tell as their world crumbles to hell

What they created was a family story no one will tell

It's a photo album, too terrible

But the pride and the pallor continue to swell

As the matron silently prays

Junior resented the tradition they upheld

And it ate him up inside most every day

Silence was golden and they kept him to his word

So bewildered when he finally ran away

Oh, obligations never cease

Oblivious of the ways to give his soul some peace

Yeah, Papa and his family always on parade

Passing through the turnstiles, weekender's charade

But time will tell as their world crumbles to hell

What they created was a family story no one will tell

It's a photo album, too terrible

But the pride and the pallor continue to swell

As the matron silently prays

Get me out of here, someone's got to save the day

The children are reminded to do it for their daddy's sake

And happiness is ever so far, far away

Yeah, lost as an island out at sea

Oblivious of the gentle waves of empathy

Yeah, papa and his family always on parade

Tearing through the turnstiles, weekender's charade

It's just a sick calamity that fatherhood made

But time will tell as their world crumbles to hell

What they created was a family story no one will tell

It's a photo album, too terrible

But the pride and the pallor continue to swell

As the matron silently prays

You know the rest