Don Henley: The End of the Innocence
Remember when the days were long
And rolled beneath a deep blue sky
Didnt have a care in the world
With mommy and daddy standing by
When happily ever after fails
And weve been poisoned by these fairy tales
The lawyers dwell on small details
Since daddy had to fly
But I know a place where we can go
Thats still untouched by man
We'll sit and watch the clouds roll by
And the tall grass wave in the wind
You can lay your head back on the ground
And let your hair fall all around me
Offer up your best defense
But this is the end
This is the end of the innocence
O beautiful, for spacious skies
But now those skies are threatening
Theyre beating plowshares into swords
For this tired old man that we elected king
Armchair warriors often fail
And weve been poisoned by these fairy tales
The lawyers clean up all details
Since daddy had to lie
But I know a place where we can go
And was away this sin
Well sit and watch the clouds roll by
And the tall grass wave in the wind
Just lay your head back on the ground
And let your hair spill all around me
Offer up your best defense
But this is the end
This is the end of the innocence
Who knows how long this will last
Now weve come so far, so fast
But, somewhere back there in the dust
That same small town in each of us
I need to remember this
So baby give me just one kiss
And let me take a long last look
Before we say good bye
Just lay your head back on the ground
And let your hair fall all around me
Offer up your best defense
But this is the end
This is the end of the innocence
Wow, I was a young naive soldier for the U.S., and then an even more
naive soldier for Jehovah. I had a real purpose in life, finally. Armageddon
was near, and I was no longer watching the clouds roll by. 1995's change
in doctrine was the beginning of the end of my innocence. But even after
I figured out that WTS was a lie, I didn't really start to get my true wisdom
until I started reading more.
I used to be a pessimist. "Things won't work out." During my innocence,
I married an optimist and learned to change my outlook. I now fully believe
in the goodness of Man, I hope for the best, but I am cynical. Individuals
don't want to screw you over, but beware of every single organization
including religious, governmental, commercial, social ones. Always follow
the money for the correct answers.
While that might sound sad, I am happier knowing it.
