Words I heard but did not hear

Watching the memorial concert for George Harrison on TV last night, I was struck by the lyrics of Isn't It A Pity, sung by Eric CLapton. (Ironically Eric stole George's first wife Patty away from him. Now read the words he sang to his old friend...)

Isn’t it a pity
Isn’t it a shame
How we break each other’s hearts
And cause each other pain
How we take each other’s love
Without thinking anymore
Forgetting to give back
Isn’t it a pity

I thought about this song because when I was a young man I was cruel and heartless and earned every scrap of pain I endured.
What other songs were ringing out a warning to me? Graham Nash's "Wounded Bird" held the secret to my agony and how to avoid it.

I've watched you go through changes
That no man should face alone
Take to heel or tame the horse
The choice is still your own
but arm yourself against the pain
A wounded bird can give
And in the end remember
It's with you you have to live
And in the end remember
It's with you you have to live

Stand your ground I think you've got
The guts it takes to win
But you must learn to turn the keys
Before she'll let you in
And understand the problems of the girl you want
so near or you'll wear the coat of questions `til the
answer hat is here
You'll wear the coat of questions `til the
answer hat is here

Serenade your angel with a love song from your eyes
Grow a little taller even though your age defies
Feel a little smaller
And in stature you will rise
A hobo or a poet must kill dragons for a bride;
And humble pie is always hard to swallow
with your pride

The pain a wounded bird can give - women give us pain becaue they are wounded, by us, by other men, by society.
The suit of questions - what man doesn't wear it? The questions are all about women - what does she mean?
Killing dragons - the latest theory I have read about slaying dragons to win the woman is the notion put forward by Jungian psychologist Robert Johnson that the dragon represents a man's ego. Once he has defeated that he can truly come into his role as husband and lover. Humble pie is what you eat to slay the dragon.

If only I'd known the meaning of the words I was singing, I'd have lived a blissful life... and so would Louisa.