Capo 4 My mother once told me The thicker your skin, The better off you’ll be When this world brings you down / It’s trying to control me Leave me without hope In the past I’ve been burned But I’ve lived and I’ve learned Chorus: ‘Neath the shelter of the pouring rain In the absence of this fear and pain I will finally bid my ball and chains – A fond farewell On a road that leads me to my place Gonna rid my heart of past disgrace I will finally bid this sluggish pace – A fond farewell… I heard their reservations And I read their bitter words I shined a light upon their wisdom No matter how absurd / Oh they broke my heart to pieces And I questioned my own beliefs My dignity was gone It’s time to move on… (Repeat Chorus) Bridge: Say goodbye to feeling sorry for myself To begging others for far too much help This is my hand these are the cards that I’ve been dealt Only I can make these changes, nobody else Say goodbye to these sleepless nights Those corridors with no end in sight A driven man with these words I write I’m making peace with my soul tonight (Repeat Chorus)