This song is about what happens when someone keeps crying wolf to see who’ll come running. The people who care keep showing up, but eventually they start feeling used. Nobody wants to feel that way, and at some point self-preservation takes over.
The sad part is that one day the need may be real. By then, the people who were willing to help have pulled away, and the bridges that person needs most have already been burned.
Lyrics
Some folks always need somethin'
Or at least that's how it seems
Another phone call
Another crisis
Another reason
To drop what you're doin'
At first you don't think twice
You just help
That's what decent people do
But after a while
You start wonderin'
If they need a hand…
Or just need to know
You'll still come runnin'
You can only pull the fire alarm
So many times
You can only make a fool of somebody
So many times
Before they stop showin' up
They'll say nobody cares anymore
Truth is…
They forgot what care felt like
After they started testin' it
He broke the handle off the door
Knockin' just to see who'd come
He'd emptied every well in town
Before he ever got thirsty
Folks don't quit helpin'
Because they're mean
They quit when every open hand
Starts feelin' like another test
That's the part nobody talks about
One day
The hurt is real
The need is real
The fear is real
But trust ain't there no more
And that's a lonely way
To find out
You spent tomorrow's kindness
Tryin' to prove
You had it today