Helpless

It's like a message stuck on repeat
Every time you open up then retreat
Never explaining the root, the reasons why
It’s still hurting you so much on the inside

And as you shut the door in my face
I want more than anything to erase
the reasons why you have to hide

For those who are unkind and the price that's paid
For the fear, regret, and the choices you've made
For the past that’s shaped the person you are now
For the forgiveness that's out of reach, somehow

For every measure of affection
that you speak of but can't give
It’s far too scary to leave that
bubble you've been living in

I'll do whatever it takes to see you smile again
I'll climb right back on that carousel and spin
As long as the light I’m willing to share
isn’t something you’re unable to bear

The wall is what you seem to prefer
Though you've said you want better
Yet never saying the catalyst, the why
Fear still controls your emotional tides

As you disappear the same way you came
I stop just short of encouraging you to stay
You aren’t the only one that’s terribly afraid

There are times when self-doubt prevails
as tenaciously as a dog chasing its own tail
In a pressure cooker where thoughts collide
Never quite certain if I’ve said what’s right

But those who have been unkind
And the price you've had to pay
Along with the fear, regret, and  
destructive choices you have made
Reminders of a past that has shaped
the complicated man you have become
Tugs at my heartstrings so damn effectively that
I’m strangled by my own desire to absolve the trap

For every measure of affection that
you speak of but aren't able to give
It’s just too damn terrifying to pop
the bubble you’ve been drifting in

I’ll do whatever it takes to be held by you again
I’ll climb back onto that sick carousel and spin
As long as the light I’m willing to share
isn’t something you’re unable to bear