If you’ve never read The Velveteen Rabbit by Margery Williams you really should. In fact, it’s best to read this book as an adult, when you’re about to go through something big, the kind of life event that makes you feel like you might be diving off a cliff. It’s about growing up. It’s about the inevitability of change. But it’s also a reminder to think about the people who helped you grow and take them with you.

So I guess it’s no shocker that this song was written as I applied, prepared, and packed for university.I watched my parents watching me. I’m not sure I’ll really be able to understand how they felt until I fill their shoes. But the velveteen rabbit… he gets it.

Lyrics:

I’m not broken, I’m not even real

Softly spoken are the words that heal

I’m not changing as my ears stop being soft

My fur grows hard as your heart grows rough

Chorus:

This is the song of all the misfit toys

Left and forgotten by the girls and boys

I’ve always lived inside a box

Here, I’m like a pair of unmatched socks

The dolls are sleeping by the bed

The rocking horse is in the shed

Everyone fits in, everyone but me

This is the velveteen rabbit’s story

Verse:

I am silent, but my words to you are real

Without you saying I know exactly how you feel

And the world outside may be cold

But just keep me in the pockets of your coat