Dear John, so begins a famous old story
Goodbye,au-revoir, thanks for the memory
Keep it short and sweet if you really care

D I vor C E can be so hurtful
It makes public property of things that are personal
All the friends and family get their share

Ink is black, as black as night
Black as thoughts that shun the light
Truth will out and maybe then
You'll put down that poison pen, that poison pen

Everyone enjoys sharing a rumor
But when it's aimed at you it loses its humor
Sometimes words so innocent, cut so deep

Ink is black, as black as night
Black as thoughts that shun the light
Truth will out and maybe then
You'll put down that poison pen, that poison pen, that poison pen

Everybody's telling me, "Talk is cheap"
Sometimes words so innocent, cut so deep
Cut so deep, they cut so deep, so deep

Ink is black, as black as night
Black as thoughts that shun the light
Ink is black, as black as night
Black as thoughts that shun the light
Truth will out and maybe then
You'll put down that poison pen, poison pen
That poison pen, that poison pen, poison pen

Black as night, as black as coal
Black as thoughts that cast a shadow
Right across my soul
I thought that you were my friend
Until you picked up that poison pen, that poison pen, yeah, poison