Eat My Words, Bite My Tongue

Best to say nothing at all
No shot from the hip;
You might say something appalling
A confidence tripped off the tongue
Better to keep the mouth zipped
Your silence preserved
Go through the night with your lips sealed
For truth is best served by discretion
Best to refrain
Don't excuse or explain
No, engage that dull brain
Before speaking

I should have listened, for once, to my own advice
I should have paid attention
I was so eager to have my say
I fell in love with the sound of my own damn voice

I never thought how offensive the line might seem
If taken out of context
My best intentions all fall away
And it's no laughing matter
Now I can't pack that jabberwock back in the box

No way to take back the hasty phrase
No chance to unspeak the sentence
That hangs in the air
Held up by the jaw-dropped silence

I know you're going to walk away
Although I make my retraction
It can't be unsaid
And my foot's in my mouth for good

Clearly I'd eat my words
When all is said and done
By now you'd think I might have learned
To bite my tongue