You looked a gift horse in the mouth
And waited to see what would come out
Oh 'cause you didn't know then what you know now
But they look your beans gave you back your cow
And it didn't matter how hard you tried
On a cow you could never learn to ride

So you let the wild thing loose one night
And you traveled north, but you traveled light
Oh 'cause you didn't know then what you now know
That it always rains when you hope it won't
And you put your faith in a weather-post
That left you standing without your coat
And what have you learned
Young child got burned
Oh what have you learned
You tried to ride the tide, but the tide it turned
The year you learned to cry

So you found a pet and you took her home
'Cause you wanted to feel depended on
Oh 'cause you didn't know then, though you're now aware
That need is greedy, it doesn't share
So she warmed your heart and warmed your bed
But bit the hand that fed her 'til it bled
So you came bandaged to the coast
Where you fell in love with your ocean host
Oh 'cause you didn't know then what you now know
Though it's smooth on top, there are storms below
And if you don't swim it sucks you down
You jumped right in and you almost drowned
And what have you learned
Young child got burned
Oh what have you learned
You tried to ride the tide, but then the tide it turned
The year you learned to cry

Who we are, who we are
Who we are, who we are
Who we are, who we are

So you'd given up, you'd done your time
And you thought you lost what you didn't find
You threw out one last rescue line
And the hand that caught it, it was mine
Oh though we didn't know then what we now know
We lost those hearts, but you kept your own
And on that beach of pebble stones
You made your peace and we made our home
And here we are now through thick and thin
We are thin on things, but we're thick with sin
And though that boy had his share of pain
But god I love the man that made
And look how we've learned
Log fire, now only wood burns
Oh look how we've learned
Log fire, now only wood burns
Oh look how we've learned
I thank the fools that left you and the tide that turned
The year you learned to cry