(This is about a good friend of mine that was diagnosed with bipolar disorder. He went into a manic state and had to be hospitalized. The only thing that brought him out of it was ECT, electro-Convulsive Therapy, or shock treatment. It was a scary time.)

I thought life was simple,

Now I know that I was wrong

I knew wed be friends forever

But now youre long and gone

 

We were gonna change the world

But its we that have been changed

Our lives forever altered

And nothing is the same

 

We shared so much laughter

That I wished would never end

Now all I hear are echoes,

As I look at my empty friend

 

Hes swimming in his mind

And combing through his brain

Trying to find out why

Everyone calls him insane

 

I sit with him in the ward

And try to remain calm

I wanna resume our old dance

But someone changed the song

 

I dont recognize the tune,

Try though as I might

And to see his strange moves

Isnt a pretty sight

 

His every step is awkward,

His behavior is off track

So I try to step in

To get our old rhythm back

 

But I feel Im speaking to someone

That isnt even there

Hes trapped inside a prison

With walls made of thin air

 

His mind was his greatest resource,

Now his greatest enemy

Hes fighting an epic battle,

To keep his sanity

 

And it kills me I cant help him,

To battle in this fight

All I can do is sit and watch

And be there by his side

 

He sometimes scares the nurses

Who put him in restrains

I tell them to take it easy

But they dont listen to complaints

 

Theyre here to treat the patient

But they dont see my friend

I just dont want to see him hurt

Is it that hard to comprehend?

 

They feed him medication

To slow his frenzied mind

And when I go to see him

Its a different person that I find

 

It tears my soul apart

To know the awful facts

This empty shell is the closest thing

To having my friend back

 

But I know hed never last

The way he was before

Its the lesser of two evils

And less is never more

 

The minds a scary place

When darkened by despair

They say youve lost your mind

But no-one knows just where

 

And while you are searching,

Ill follow all the way

Im a man of many words

But thats all I have to say

 

Id go through burning fire,

To the borders of the real

Id give up any possession

If it ever helped you heal

 

 

Ill be your friend, until the end

Even at the worst

Cause I know in my soul youd do the same

Were our roles reversed