Caught In The Crowd

There was a guy at my school when I was in high school

We'd ride side by side in the morning on our bicycles

Never even spoken or faced each other

But on the last hill we'd race each other

When we reached the racks we'd each go our own way

I wasn't in his classes, I didn't know his name

When we finally got to speak he just stared at his feet

And mumbled a sentence that ended with 'James'

I was young and caught in the crowd

I didn't know then what I know now

I was dumb, and I was proud

And I'm sorry

If I could go back do it again

I'd be someone you could call friend

Please please believe that I'm sorry

Well he was quite a big guy, kinda shy and quiet

When the kids called him weird he didn't try to deny it

Every lunchtime he'd spend walking by himself

Round the boundary of the grounds til he heard the bell

Well one day I found him, joined him on his walk

We were silent for a while until we started to talk

I told him my family were fighting in court

He said his step-dad and him always fought

We talked about music ? he was into punk

Told me all the bands that I liked were junk

I said I'd never heard the songs the sex pistols sang

I laughed back at him and then the bell rang

I was young and caught in the crowd

I didn't know then what I know now

I was dumb, and I was proud

And I'm sorry

If I could go back do it again

I'd be someone you could call friend

Please please believe that I'm sorry

It was after school in the afternoon

The corridors were crowded as we came out of the rooms

Three guys I knew pushed him into the cement

Threw away his bag and said he had no friends

He yelled that he did and he looked around

Tried getting up but they pushed him on down

That's when he saw me, called out my name

And I turned my back, and just walked away