BettySoo

easy living

When I was born, I came out 
Fully dressed in springtime green 
I had a silver spoon right in my pocket 
And the strongest legs you’ve ever seen 
It didn’t take long before I learned 
My words could take down a full grown man 
And the lies ran out of my mouth 
Before I knew it, and they flew faster than Superman 

Easy living in the wings of a giving papa 
Easy riding along in the slow car of my mama 
Easy finding my way down so many one way streets 
Easy losing my heart to the first one who’d take it from me 

Comfort only goes so far 
When it comes in the shape of a brand new dress 
And sorry don’t mean much 
When he turns around just to hurt you again 
It didn’t take long before I learned 
To pretend it didn’t happen and I was fine 
And as long as I believed it 
Everyone would follow me in line 

Some things that come so easy 
Ain’t easy after all 
Some things that come so cheap 
Ain’t free if you have to fall

Forever

First vision of her a revelation 
Heavens opened and shone down 
He’s still waiting for another divine inspiration 
To make him sure of what he found 
No one ever loved her better 
She longs for something different just the same 
Sometimes, she wonders whether 
She shouldn’t have taken his name 

Blanket of night hides the ache in their souls 
Two bodies huddle with love that’s grown cold 
That old twisted cedar taps 
A familiar refrain on their window 

She’s thinking of painting the gray in her hair 
She looks in the closet at nothing to wear 
Will he notice when she starts Coming home later 

This ain’t no love tale like Johnny and June 
This ain’t ever after, the fire died too soon 
This ain’t no lullaby, no one will sleep well tonight 

He’s remembering that morning 
They fell to their knees and asked 
Will you let me love you forever?

Get Clean

Been nursing dust on my shoes 
Didn’t want to shake these blues 
Been fighting better judgment 
Fighting what I know to be true 
This darkness burning a hole 
Heart wants to shake it, skin wants to hold on 
Be better if I quit it 
I’ve never done what I was told 

It’s time to get clean 
It’s time to get clean 
Take what’s hidden and make it seen 

Say love’s like shotgun spray 
One pellet kills the snake 
I’m not picking up that gun 
Sometimes I like to hear rattles shake 

Pull the curtains down 
Throw the doors open 
Strip the bed, turn every light on 
Step in the river, let it cover 
Let go when you go under

Goodbye

Say goodbye to the end of the story 
You thought would come with all love’s glory 
Say goodbye to the “happy ever” end 
Learn to smile when they say you’ll still be friends 

Say goodbye to the horse and its prince 
To big castles and the corpse of a witch 
Say goodbye to the promise of gold 
Just for doing more than you were told 

Say hello to this is real life 
Say hello to working for a living 
Say hello to cleaning your floors
And only salesmen knock on your door 

Say goodbye to getting straight A’s 
Never knew your smarts would leave someday 
Say goodbye to gas in your car 
Twenty bucks won't take you that far 

Say goodbye to your favorite dress 
You haven’t been that size since God knows when 
Say goodbye to that diamond ring 
You lost the only man who made enough to bring one 

Say hello to yes that’s really you in your mirror 
Say hello to driving this car till it dies 
Ain’t as romantic as it sounded 6 years ago 
Say hello to mildew in your shower 
And mom isn’t there to power out the stains 

Bye, goodbye, goodbye to sweet desperation 
Bye, goodbye, goodbye to old fashioned denial 
Bye, goodbye, goodbye to my fairy tale other self 
Bye, goodbye, Hello to me

Hold Tight

When love shatters 
Shards, fragments fly everywhere 
Splintered hearts, wounded pride 
Black powder shame hanging in the air 

Casings fall soft on carpet 
Next to the bags by the door 
Every move is in slow motion 
Pull the pin and hit the floor 

It’s your pattern of disruption 
Striking everything within your sights 
I’m steeling for destruction 
You’re lighting the fuse, you’re ready to fight 

Waves pulsing in my bones 
Bells pealing in my ears 
Since when did this living room 
Become a battlefield 

Pressure pressing down 
Pressure pressing down 
Pressure pressing down 
Hold tight hold tight hold tight

If You Fall

If you fall will I be strong enough 
To help you find your feet to stand? 
Well that’s the same question I ask myself 
Every morning when I wake up holding your hand 

If you were taken from me would find a way 
Find a way to live on my own? 
Well that’s the same question I ask myself 
Every time I’m a long way from home 

I would learn to fly 
If it meant I could stay by your side 
Forever 
And I would learn to swim to distant lands 
If it meant I would find you 
When my fingers reached the sand 

If you couldn’t find anything that made you happy 
Would I change, would I change who I am? 
Well that’s the same question I ask myself 
Every time I don’t know where I stand

Josephine

Another night he’ll be home late 
Lipstick smear still on his face 
And the morning will be hell 
When she won’t want him to tell 
But when the lights go down on the room 
And the spot shines on the bright blue plume 
Tucked in a band around a delicate wrist 
Floating in the dark til the hand cues the pianist 

And it’s Skylark 
Sweet falsetto rings in the air 
Catch your breath while you stare 
His face like an angel singing a lover’s prayer 

Every Tuesday after he locks the office doors 
Pulls the tie over his head and onto the floorboard 
Cruises out of the suburbs to the emptying city 
Everyone’s going home but his day’s beginning 
His brown cropped hair drowned by raven curls 
Porcelain skin stark against a string of black pearls 
Good old Joe becomes lovely Josephine 
Still every eye closes when he starts to sing 

And it’s Skylark 
The melody drawing you in with every tone 
The longing that you hear feels like your own 
Til you find your heart’s true home

Just Another Lover

Am I just another lover to you? 
Another piece of skin you could get close to 
Someplace warm where you once fit in 
Invisible, expendable as oxygen 
Am I just another lover to you? 

Am I a well you once drew from? 
Just a place to wet your tongue 
Not quite good as a spring 
Enough to get you by not enough to cling to 
Am I a well you once drew from? 

Am I a dirt road you left behind? 
Leading to a place you don’t want to find 
Not paved and pretty but I took you through 
Why did you decide to pick up and move 
Am I a dirt road you left behind? 

Am I just another lover to you? 
Another piece of skin you could get close to 
Someplace warm where you once fit in 
Essential but forgettable as oxygen 
Am I just another lover to you?