I believe some people enter into relationships because those relationships provide the opportunity to dominate another person. Of course, this is never a recipe for success. In this song, someone comes to the realization that this is probably the reason why her partner had entered into a relationship with her. He displays this motive by belittling her in front of friends.
So, this isn't a happy song—except for the fact that, when she realizes all this, she leaves him.
Lyrics
A Tougher Girl
Clue number one
Was that nasty little shot
Clue number two
Was that twisted little plot
And when it all began to tumble
And her strength started to crumble
It hit her like the clashing of two worlds
He needed a tougher girl
There were times she was simply too wounded to speak
Was he that cruel or was she just that weak?
Still, it came as news to her
Just how far apart they were
It picked her up and tossed her in a whirl
He needed a tougher girl
One who handles the digs
With an ego this big
For the laughter at her expense
Who can take the attack
And fire right back
And swim in the present tense
In just a few words
A tougher girl
Rule number one
Never let it show
Rule number two
She had to let him go
She needed a quiet moment
To tell him it had to be over
The hardest part was finding the right words
To tell him
He needed a tougher girl
BREAK
She tried not to cry
When he asked her why
She seemed to be so upset
She could lay it all out
Removing all doubt
That might feel good and yet
She wasn’t that tougher girl
Sometime later in a place they used to go
She saw him with a woman she didn’t know
Laughing along with the crowd
Keeping it so very loud
That picture made it crystal clear to her
She wasn’t that tougher girl
She was gentle and sweet
And she knew she could meet
Someone caring, someone kind
Who didn’t keep score
And knew there was more
Than trying to find
A tougher girl
A tougher girl
© Gary Poole 2022