Richard Thompson – Why Do You Turn Your Back? lyrics

When you were helpless, before you knew
He gave you shelter until you grew
He kept you secret, then he gave you a name
You drank from a river, you slept in the hay

You grew up running, into the wind
You grew up fighting a war you'd never win
Against a foe you'd never seen
Pretending to be what you'd never been

Why do you turn your back on your best friend?
Why do you turn your back on the one who loves you?
Why do you turn your back on your best friend?
The only one who ever really cared
The only one who ever really cared

When you were burning, the sky would pour
When you were drowning, he threw you ashore
He saved your life, o just to be
The one who turned back his enemy

And now you're like a bolted door
No-one can change the lock, your palace is secure
You're the king and the prisoner
But don't you hear the knocking at the door?

Why do you turn your back on your best friend?
Why do you turn your back on the one who loves you?
Why do you turn your back on your best friend?
The only one who ever really cared
The only one who ever really cared

And now you falter, afraid to live
And now you hold back, afraid to be the giver
And do you ever think
Of the friend who gave you gifts like a river?

Why do you turn your back on your best friend?
Why do you turn your back on the one who loves you?
Why do you turn your back on your best friend?
The only one who ever really cared
The only one who ever really cared
Why do you turn your back on your best friend?