When I ask you to listen to me br And you start giving me advice, br You have not done what I asked. br When I ask you to listen to me br And you begin to tell me why br I shouldn’t feel that way, br You are trampling on my feelings. br When I ask you to listen to me br And you feel you have to do something br To solve my problem, br You have failed me, br Strange as that may seem. br Listen! All I ask you is listen. br Don’t talk or do—just hear me. br Advice is cheap br And I can do for myself; I am not helpless. br Maybe discouraged ad faltering, br But not helpless. br When you do something that I can br And need to do for myself, br You contribute to my fear and br Inadequacy. br But when you accept as a simple fact br No matter how irrational, br Then I can stop trying to convince br You and get about this business br Of understanding what’s behind br This irrational feeling. br And when that’s clear, the answers are br Obvious and I don’t need advice. br Irrational feelings make sense when br We understand what’s behind them. br Perhaps that’s why prayer works—because god is mute, br And he doesn’t give advice or try br To fix things, br God just listens and lets you work br it out for yourself. br So please listen, and just hear me. br And if you want to talk, wait a minute br For your turn—and I will listen to you.