That's the Way I've Always Heard It Should Be

My father sits at night with no lights on
His cigarette glows in the dark.
The living room is still; I walk by, no remark.
I tiptoe past the master bedroom where
My mother reads her magazines.
I hear her call sweet dreams, But I forgot how to dream.
But you say it's time we moved in together
And raised a family of our own, you and me -Well, that's the way I've always heard it should be: You want to marry me, we'll marry.
My friends from college they're all married now; They have their houses and their lawns.
They have their silent noons, Tearful nights, angry dawns.
Their children hate them for the things they're not; They hate themselves for what they are-And yet they drink, they laugh, Close the wound, hide the scar.
But you say it's time we moved in together
And raised a family of our own, you and me -Well, that's the way I've always heard it should be: You want to marry me, we'll marry.
You say we can keep our love alive
Babe - all I know is what I see -The couples cling and claw
And drown in love's debris.
You say we'll soar like two birds through the clouds, But soon you'll cage me on your shelf -I'll never learn to be just me first
Well O.
K., it's time we moved in together
And raised a family of our own, you and me -Well, that's the way I've always heard it should be, You want to marry me, we'll marry, We'll marry.