cotton wool

Wrap me up in cotton wool

and protect me from the world.

I'm delicate and fragile,

and I don't want to go outside,

Keep the curtains closed,

let the morning pass me by,

let the streets remain distant,

let the darkness be my sky.

I don't want the noise,

I don't want the crowds,

I don't want the questions,

or the voices growing loud.

Give me somewhere quiet,

where nothing can go wrong,

where I can disappear

and simply just belong.

Wrap me up a little tighter,

keep the cold away from me,

build a little shelter

where the world cannot reach me.

I am tired of being careful,

tired of trying to be strong,

tired of pretending everything

has never felt so wrong.

So let me stay inside tonight,

where the walls can hold me still,

where I can breathe without the fear

of having to climb another hill.

And if tomorrow calls my name,

perhaps I won't answer then;

perhaps I'll find the strength someday

to open up the door again.

But for now, wrap me up in cotton wool,

and let the outside world go on.

Let me have this little sanctuary

until I feel strong enough for dawn.