George died in the fifth grade No one ever knew why He was out selling lemonade On the Fourth of July and he died Sister Claire said that he was An angel on earth She stood there and she told us She had clearly rehearsed every verse Of the lies that tie you down There are times when a man feels That it's him against the world There are times when a man steals From the love of his girl There are days when a beast dies Long before the gun And there are days when a crow flies Straight into the sun, to be done With the lies that tie you down I've forgotten my first love I haven't seen her since when There's a bum on the corner He thinks that I'm his best friend, we pretend He says the rapture is anyday That's when God's coming around Although perhaps he should stay away They'll run him right out of town, like a clown With the lies that tie you down The lies that tie you down (x2)