"Trial Of The Century" lyrics

What does it mean when you're sixteen?
The world's a cold and lonely place
But you're still kicking every door down in the place

The war of words, they're so uptight
You pass a hundred sleepless nights
And the worst is yet to come or so they say

Here comes seventeen
And just beyond there's tolerance and empathy
To protect you from them all

A stand of evergreen
Just like the places we would always talk about
To catch you when you fall

You hear a knock outside the door
It never rains here anymore
So now there's nothing new to wash away the pain

A frightened face, your clouded mind
The memories you've trailed behind
And seventeen still feels like years away

Here comes seventeen
And just beyond there's tolerance and empathy
To protect you from them all

A stand of evergreen
Just like the places we would always talk about
To catch you when you fall

Nobody seems to understand you
As you're grasping for that
Innocence sequestered in your mind

Was it guilt or were they blind
All this time?

A frightened face, your clouded mind
The memories you've trailed behind
And seventeen still feels like years away

Here comes seventeen
And just beyond there's tolerance and empathy
To protect you from them all

A stand of evergreen
Just like the places we would always talk about
To catch you when you fall