There\'s still this thing I carry
I know we\'ve got to talk about
Why I chose to walk away
to leave you standing there in doubt
A talk we need to have
about the thing I couldn\'t do
The way it scared me then
the thought of me and you
And the price they\'d make you pay
if we chose to follow through
Negate that thing because of me
a thing I couldn\'t choose
The collar that you strived for
all those years ago
How you almost lost it once
before they gave it back to you
To risk the loss of that again
would always haunt my mind
It hasn\'t ever left since then
even through this time
A thing we need to talk about
as we\'re moving forward
To find a way to have this thing
without you losing yours
I do not need a marriage
to prove our love is real
It\'s not a thing I need from you
thats just the way I feel
And if you feel the same then
it\'s easy to move forward
But just in case you don\'t
I just want for you to know
I\'ll never acquiesce to watch
you lose that part of you
The thing for you to know
I won\'t run away this time
I\'m in it for the long haul now
right on down the line
What matters most to me
is that your collar is intact
And remains a thing that you still have
the authority to choose
So that when the final word is said
it gets to stay with you