They smother them,
They kill them,
They drive them away.
If you were ignored,
Why would you stay?

They say youth is wasted on the young,
But youth is wasted when people are too high strung.
Kids always want to be older,
But they don't know their hearts will get colder
They want to go to school and start learning,
But soon enough, their hearts will stop burning.

They smother them,
They kill them,
They drive them away.
If you were ignored,
Why would you stay?

They are now pieces of the American graduate factory,
We try 'No Child Left Behind' to keep their grades satisfactory.
The road is set before them with so called 'freedom' at the end, and woods on the side
But will their inner child be along for the whole ride?
Your priorities will make them flee to the woods,
You're focused on only the worldly riches and goods.

They smother them,
They kill them,
They drive them away.
If you were ignored,
Why would you stay?

You're working towards freedom as you push it away,
You'll graduate with honors but your soul will be frayed.
You'll only focus on the things you dislike,
Instead of following Jesus' advice about remaining childlike.
Maybe one day you'll be reminiscing,
When you'll finally realize that your inner child is missing.

You smothered him,
You killed him,
You drove him away.
You ignored him,
And he didn't bother to stay.