Song to a Shrinking Violet
words and music by Jane Voss
In the Garden of Life, you can see quite a show;
There are flowers of every description.
Oh, the colors are wild, side by side as they grow
Oh, what a happy condition.
Some grow gracefully tall; others, tastefully small
Still they all fall within the design.
Each in its own way quite fine;
Magnificent how they combine!
CHORUS: My little flower, come out!
It is your hour.
You may own it or not,
You are all that you’ve got,
Don’t be shy, let it show.
Oh, you are lovelier by far
Than you know;
Still, you keep it inside,
A secret you hide,
Pretty, how do you grow?
Within your solitary gloom
You hide your glow
With your lovely little self
Tucked away on a shelf,
Locked up tight in a room.
Oh, don’t be withered by regret,
Come out and bloom,
My Shrinking Violet.
Holding back, you let life go passing
By you in a blur,
While you wait to measure up
To what you wish you were.
Don’t go back on who you are,
The soul of you will shine just like a star!
CHORUS
Bound to standards not your own,
You’re out on shaky ground;
Sticks and stones may break your bones,
But words will bring you down.
Let your critics talk and stare,
They can’t define you, nor compare,
Oh, never mind,
They won’t find your like anywhere.
CHORUS