The only one she told was little sister
Woke her in the middle of the night
So happy to be leaving, and he was all she ever wanted
Her bags were packed and standing at her side
She wore the coat her mom gave her for Christmas
She waited for a man and for a train
People on the platform must have wondered
Her tears were falling as the morning came
That was the first time she cried in front of strangers
The first time she showed the world her pain
And she swore that it would be the only time they'd see
No stranger would ever see her cry again
But it didn't matter what she wished for
Didn't matter what she swore
Didn't matter how he treated her
She kept on coming back for more
So many strangers, so many years
On city streets, subway cars, movie lines, alone in bars
Strangers pretended not to see her tears
Then finally, she found a way to leave him
There was a man she knew just waiting for his chance
Her father thanked the Lord as he walked her down the aisle
'Cause he knew this one would treat her good at last
She saw her life behind a secret curtain
No one in that church imagined what she missed
She heard a distant train, and she heard the word forever
He lifted up her veil, and then they kissed
There was a time she cried in front of strangers
But she learned what grownups do with pain
She learned to smile and hide the tears she'll always feel inside
No stranger would ever see her cry aga