she went over to his apartment
|
clutching her decision
|
and he said, did you come here to tell me goodbye?
|
so she built a skyscraper of procrastination
|
and then she leaned out the twenty-fifth floor window
|
of her reply
|
and she felt like an actress
|
just reading her lines
|
when she finally said
|
yes. it's really goodbye this time
|
and far below was the blacktop
|
and the tiny toy cars
|
and it all fell so fast
|
and it all fell so far
|
|
and she said:
|
you are a miracle but that is not all
|
you are also a stiff drink and i am on call
|
you are a party and i am a school night
|
and i'm lookin' for my door key
|
but you are my porch light
|
|
and you'll never know, dear
|
just how much i loved you
|
you'll probably think this was
|
just my big excuse
|
but i stand committed
|
to a love that came before you
|
and the fact that i adore you
|
is but one of my truths
|
|
what of the mother
|
whose house is in flames
|
and both of her children
|
are in their beds crying
|
and she loves them both
|
with the whole of her heart
|
but she knows she can only
|
carry one at a time?
|
she's choking on the smoke
|
of unthinkable choices
|
she is haunted by the voices
|
of so many desires
|
she's bent over from the business
|
of begging forgiveness
|
while frantically running around
|
putting out fires
|
|
but then what kind of scale
|
compares the weight of two beauties
|
the gravity of duties
|
or the ground speed of joy?
|
tell me what kind of gauge
|
can quantify elation?
|
what kind of equation
|
could i possibly employ?
|
and you'll never know, dear
|
just how much i loved you
|
you probably think this was
|
just my big excuse
|
but i stand committed
|
to a love that came before you
|
and the fact that i adore you
|
is just one of my truths
|
|
so i
|
i'm goin' home
|
to please the one i so love pleasing
|
and i don't expect
|
he'll have much sympathy for my grieving
|
but i guess that this is the price
|
that we pay for the privilege
|
of living for even a day
|
in a world with so many things
|
worth believing
|
in
|
|
-----------------
|
School Night
|
Ani DiFranco |