(This song was suggested to me by a high school teacher who said
that being unable to defend h*mos**uality makes him feel like he
is "one of the oppressors" in the eyes of his gay and lesbian
students. the enemy is everyone, gay or straight, who pa**ively
supports oppression by their silence.)
Every day I go to work
I'm there to teach integrity
But how can I teach anything
With a closet door in front of me
'Cause when I look out at the faces
One or two see through the lies
And when I look right back at them
I see the pain of my own youth in their eyes
And it breaks my heart
And it makes me feel ashamed to wear this mask
Each day from 8 to 3
I can't reach out
To the ones who need a friend
So I must pretend to be
One of the enemy
Every year a hundred faces
Staring blindly up at me
How I want to tell the truth
Instead of teaching history
But for job security
I don't dare say a word
And so my good intentions fade
And my thoughts of love are left unheard
And it hurts my pride
And I hate to have to hide myself away
Each day from 8 to 3
I can't reach out
To the ones who need a friend
So I must pretend to be
One of the enemy
To the boys who leave the girls behind
To the girls with more than boyfriends
On their minds
I can't reach out
To the ones who need a friend
So I must pretend to be
I must pretend
Maybe someday I'll find a way
(Some day soon I'll find a way)
To comfort them (to calm their fears)
And let them know that things will change
If they can make it through these years