I Don t Owe

Don’t wait for promises I never gave you.
Don’t hold me to the words I never said.
Don’t measure me against your expectations:
You wrote them for me in your own head.

You can imagine anything about me
And think you know my answer in advance.
But if I choose the road that I choose freely,
It doesn’t mean that I betrayed you, no.

I don’t owe anyone anything
That I never promised I would do.
I may still do the things you’re hoping for,
But the word I gave is what I answer to.

Don’t turn your own expectations into
A debt of mine or guilt I have to bear.
For my actions and the promises I’ve given,
I answer for myself, not for your dream.

I helped you, but my help was not an IOU.
I was kinder, but it wasn’t a contract.
And if I let somebody come in closer,
That’s my choice, not something you can demand.

Don’t be disappointed when you see me
Not become the person that you planned.
I never changed the terms in silence;
You created them without my consent.

I don’t owe anyone anything
That I never promised I would do.
I may still do the things you’re hoping for,
But the word I gave is what I answer to.

Don’t turn your own expectations into
A debt of mine or guilt I have to bear.
For my actions and the promises I’ve given,
I answer for myself, not for your dream.

There is duty
If I give my word:
That word becomes responsibility.
But I don’t owe it to anyone
To live up to hopes that are not mine.

I don’t owe anyone anything
Except what I have promised I would do.
And even if it’s hard, I still will do it.
Once I give my word, I see it through.

Don’t judge me by your expectations,
And don’t assign your guilt to me.
Where I never gave you my agreement,
You forced your own dream onto me.