I wish I had button eyes and a red felt nose
A shaggy cotton skin and just one set of clothes
Sittin' on a shelf in a local department store
With no dreams to dream and nothin' to be sorry for

I wish I was a teddy bear
Not livin' or lovin' nor goin' nowhere
I wish I was a teddy bear
And I'm wishin' that I hadn't fallen in love with you

I wish I had a wooden heart and a sawdust mind
Then your memory wouldn't come around hurtin' all the time
I'd have a sewed-on smile and a painted twinkle in my eye
And I never would have ever had to learn how to cry

I wish I had a string you could pull to make me say
"Hi, I'm teddy - ain't it a lovely day?"
Then I'd know every time I spoke the words were right
And none would know the mess I made of my life