She sometimes likes to sit underneath bridges and watch rivers flow
Pretending she's a queen and the worlds all her own
Like she has enough love to share with the world
And everyone would fall in love with this little girl

But there comes a time when little girls have to grow up
Her momma told her playing under bridges is for girls who are young
And her dreams of being loved were stolen from her
Depression pulled the young girl under

From time to time she sits under a new bridge to watch rivers flow
Pretending she's married and feeling like Gold
Until reality breaks through and reminds her she's all alone
And the sinking feeling spreads all through her bones

She builds a new bridge for each one that is broken
But it isn't enough to forget the words that have already been spoken
Sooner or later she's out of bridge designs
And before she jumps she pretends just one more time

I wonder if this is how animals feel, at the zoo or in the circus
Caged
Forced to watch everyone stare at them from the outside,
While they rot behind bars, not sure of what they've done wrong.
Forced to be tested on skills they were forced to develop.
Because that's what society wants.
Trying so hard to not be wrong,
Because if an animal ***** up, they get put down.
So they jump through the hoops that the circus provides.
Balancing on *****
Willing to put their lives in jeopardy to survive,
But wait,
That doesn't seem quite right.
Imagine risking your LIFE to SURVIVE.
Imagine developing diseases like depression and anxiety,
It's a free country, but we're under the imprisonment of money.
So they make you sit in a cage made of brick walls,
And laugh as you struggle to survive through it all.
They have you jumping through metaphorical hoops so you can see who's the best.
Receiving treats and praise if you're academically correct,
Staying on top of things to make your parents proud,
Stressing over the fact that you can't **** up or you'll get put down.
Balancing on a ball filled with school, sports and life at home
Until it pops and they push you into the wild all alone.
So I guess you could say we're like animals in a zoo or the circus.
Trying to get 100% on our standardized tests so that we can feel perfect.
But at the end of the day all your gonna feel is worthless,
Because you're being tested on skills you were forced to develop,
And sooner or later you're gonna get fed up
You're gonna jump on your ball and that ball is gonna pop.
It's bound to happen on your fight to the top
And it's inevitable, there's no way to make it stop.
So when you start to feel worthless
'Cause your test scores aren't perfect
Just remember we're animals being watched in a zoo or a circus,
So you don't need to follow society, blindly
Throughout your life,
Or you'll be caged up like me
Doing tricks to survive.

Screaming on the inside, but out here I'm silent.
I'm steering this big plane and I'm not even a pilot.
And if I crash and burn,
My life will flash,
All I'll see is people frowning.
I don't think they'd care enough to save my sorry *** from drowning
As if it wasn't enough being pushed under by my tidal waves of demons
I've got an anchor called sadness tied 'round my ankle that pulls me so much deeper.
As I float toward the bottom I try to hold on,
But drowning in the ocean only offers so much oxygen.