Hard Times

So these
These are the hard times
The ones we've
Been hearing about
And like in
"A streetcar named desire"
We're struggling
To work it out
And these
These are the lean times
The ones we never thought
That we'd see
And it's just like in
"The grapes of wrath"
Except it's happening
To you and me

And it feels like I'm standing
Outside of myself
As we act out
Our desperate scenes
Like watching an old-time
Black and white movie
Starring you and me
And the feelings are so
Intensely real
That they don't seem
Real at all
I can't bear
To see your pain
Or to watch your teardrops fall

They say
They say of these hard times
They kill you or
They make you strong
And like in
"City for conquest"
I'm wondering
What went wrong

As we go
Through these hard times
I can't get past
My disbelief
That this isn't really
A very bad dream
And soon
I'll wake to see
The end
The end of these hard times
Every movie's
Got to end
As it fades to black
And the curtains close
To reality
Again