I was walking the edge of the canyon line-- Slipped and fell into that great divide--
All that caught me was memory and time;
A ledge on the outer edge of my mind.
I had been making cakes for everyone,
Watching them eat and leaving me crumbs;
A drill sergeant for an army of sons--
A mask so heavy it made me go numb.
I have dollars and plastic,
My head has a roof,
My body a bed and my body no bruise,
Fingers are warm; my belly is fed
But that means nothing when you’re fucked in the head.
Dare I long for more when at least I have bread?
When that far away child is quite close to death?
But who’s to say they wouldn’t want the same,
If they stood where I stood and had my same name?
Needed to find a place to belong--
Wanted to right the wrongs with a song--
The words they tumbled out of my hands,
And the melody left me for another man.
So just let me lay here for a long while--
Ledges are better than falling for miles--
My mind is slipping, my heart so tired
From everything of me that has been required.