From the recording Shadow Puppets And My Little Baboon
Hardened Life - Plain Jayne was writing songs for our second album when we came up with this song. We wrote the music to the song and when it came time to finish the lyrics we ended up writing two different songs that shared the same music. Both songs were heartfelt and both songs were personal. Ryan and Zane would write about Ryan’s childhood with his mother and I would write about how I perceived my father as my hero. So how could one choose what lyric to use or better yet, what lyric not to use? Luckily for us we always recorded a “Not So Plain Jayne” album every year to give out to our family’s for Christmas. We ended up recording both songs and released them on that years album. I always regretted not recording this song for our second Plain Jayne album. My pride once again got in the way and carelessly let this song go to an album that few would hear. It deserved to be heard. This is my way of trying to right a wrong. But more than that, I love this song and what it’s about more than any other song of that time. It’s truly a masterpiece.
Lyrics
Hardened Life
As I lay you to sleep
Well it steals my chance to speak
Never came so quickly
The flesh becomes so weak
I’ll never, see inside
This hardened life took its tole on your mind
(Bridge) Why didn’t you just leave, just quit, just run away
One night could have brought you to another day
(Chorus) This hardened life has been spent
And all the things I can’t forget I’m drowning
In all of the chances that were lost
You confused me my whole life
Your smiles were so rare
I doesn’t seem enough the two times you were there
But I believed you’d come around
Letting go of what was found
If just to say your sorry but I never heard a sound
(Bridge) Why didn’t you just leave, just quit, just run away
One night could have brought you to another day
(Chorus) This hardened life has been spent
And all the things I can’t forget I’m drowning
In all of the chances that were lost
(Outro-Chorus) If there’s another life that’s left
It’s just another closed off wreck, how can I
feel so cheated when you were so the cause
This Life That’s Mine X4
(Bridge) Why didn’t you just leave, just quit, just run away
One night could have brought you to another day
(Chorus) This hardened life has been spent
And all the things I can’t forget I’m drowning
In all of the chances that were lost
(Outro-Chorus) If there’s another love that’s left
It’s just another closed off wreck how can I
feel so cheated when you were so the cause
(Chorus) This hardened life has been spent
And all the things I can’t forget I’m drowning
In all of the chances that were lost