"Write to me," you said.
But that's not what you really meant.
What you really meant to say was,
"It's better if you don't visit.
I'd prefer to keep you
as just a name on an envelope."

"Oh, look how much you've grown.
You look more like your mother each day," they said.
But that isn't what they meant.
What they really meant to say was,
"She looks so much like her.
Do you think she'll end up like her?"

"You sure have been through a lot.
What a tough little girl you've been," she said, before passing me onto another relative.
But that's not what she meant.
What she really meant to say was,
"I heard you went crazy, just like your mama.
Keep away from me, I don't wanna catch what you have."

"We're here for you," everyone says.
But that isn't what they mean.
No, what they really mean to say is,
"We're here for you as long as you don't screw up.
Don't screw up."

That's what they really meant to say.