Open up the packet, add the sugar, then you carbonate
Thinking ‘bout the lobster that your sister and your mother ate
Spend an hour obsessing on the color of your corduroys
Wonder when your cousin’s gonna know if it’s a girl or boy
Run out to the corner where a boombox plays the latest song
Lie in bed awake because she told you that your shoes were wrong
Single strap your backpack when you come around the turn for school
Asking your reflection “Are we ever gonna be cool?”

Hey Mom, I’m really good at something
I’m better than all my friends
Hey Mom, I’m really good at something
I wanna do it again and again


Cleaning off the blackboard, is that what a baby’s mind is like?
Shadows in the mirror look like memories of a past life
Sing into the static where the silence tries to speak again
Learning how to hold on to your own hand when you need a friend
Read another book, maybe a magazine could help you out
Wear a copper bracelet, rub a crystal when you feel doubt
Automatic writing’s gonna help you find the words you need
Carve your morning pages in the wall until you fall free

CHORUS

My daddy's name is Daddy
Mommy's name is Mommy
My sister's name is Poppy
My cat's name is Oatmeal
Oatmeal went to the doctor
She got shooten by a hunter
She was hurt for a long long time
She's not okay yet

Going with the flow can lead you over to the roads that suck
Swallowing the stopper gets you nowhere, and you’re so stuck
Light the roman candle in your hand and watch the fire shoot out
Or put it on the mantle, never talk about it ever
Following the thread, I don't wanna say why
All the things I said, friends I didn't stay by
Things I should've learned in the school line-up
Was it North or South Carolina?