I'm a tangled up puppet
Spinning round in knots
And the more I see what I used to be
The less of you I've got

There was a time that you curled up
In my lap, like a child
You'd cling to me smiling
Your eyes wide and wild

Now you slip through my arms
Wave a passing hello
Twist away and toss a kiss
Laughing as you go

You used to say read me a story
And sing me songs of love
For you were Princess Paradise
On the wings of a dove

Now I chase you and tease you
Trying to remake you my own
But you just turn away and say
Please leave me alone

And I'm a tangled up puppet
All hanging in your strings
I'm a butterfly in a spider's web
Fluttering my wings

And the more that I keep dancing
And spinning round in knots
The more I see what I used to be
And the less of you I've got

You are a drawer full of makeup
And rinses and things
You keep changing your moods
Like your earrings and rings

But tonight while we played tag
For five minutes in the yard
Just for a moment
I caught you off guard

And I'm a tangled up puppet
All hanging in your strings
I'm a butterfly in a spider's web
Fluttering my wings

And the more that I keep dancing
And spinning round in knots
The more I see what I used to be
And the less of you I've got

Now you write your secret poems
In a room just for your dreams
You don't find time to talk to me
About the things you mean

What I mean is
I have watched you take shape
From a jumble of parts
And find the grace and form
Of a fine work of art

Hey, you, my brand new woman
Newly come into your own
Don't you know that you don't need
To grow up all alone