Parallel parked too close to the stop sign
My eyes widen with my shameful realization
As I'm staring at the brick faces
I see all these years I've lied

I always say I love New Jersey
I love humidity and turnpike traffic
The smell of refineries, airports, swamps
I love ten million immigrants and dreary beaches

Where are the muggers? where's the pollution?
All I see are kids playing and gardens by the park
Little lap dogs being walked
And ancient graffiti, now meaningless

My mother fled for fear of public schools
Yearning for the best life for her children
But don't you see the life I've had in this state?
Full of empty promises and lost chances

I will never get out of new jersey and
I will never escape this past
I will raise my children to raise their children here
I will become the person I am terrified of

The ride to Poughkeepsie I fall asleep
In the backseat, headphones on
Dreaming of the girl I was supposed to be
Dreaming of the life I was supposed to have