[2002-10-30] deHTMLized by script by Zrajm C Akfohg

Ani DiFranco: Living in Clip [?]
(c)1993 Righteous Babe Records

 1. Gravel
 2. Willing to Fight
 3. Shy
 4. Joyful Girl
 5. Hide and Seek
 6. Napoleon
 7. I'm No Heroine
 8. Amazing Grace
 9. Anticipate
10. Tiptoe
11. Sorry I Am
12. The Slant
13. The Diner
14. Thirty Two Flavors
15. Out of Range
16. Untouchable Face
17. Shameless
18. Adam and Eve
19. Fire Door
20. Both Hands
21. Out of Habit
22. Every State Line
23. Not So Soft
24. In or Out
25. Letter to a John
26. Overlap


1. Gravel

I heard the sound of your bike,
As your wheels hit the gravel,
Then your engine in the driveway
Cutting off
And I pushed through the screen door
And I stood out on the porch
Thinking fight, fight, fight
At all costs,
But instead I let you in,
Just like I've always done
And I sat you down and offered you a beer
And across the kitchen table
I fired several rounds,
But you were still sitting there
When the smoke cleared.
And you came crawling back
To say that you wanna
Make good in the end

[ so let's go before I change my mind ]
[ I'll leave the luggage of all your lies behind ]
[ 'cuz I am better than everything that came before... ]
[ and you were never very kind... ]

And oh, oh,
Let me count the ways
That I abhor you,
And you were never a good lay
And you were never a good friend
But, oh, oh, what else can I say...
I adore you

All I need is my leather,
One t-shirt and two socks,
I'll keep my hands warm
In your pockets
And you can use the engine block,
And we'll ride out to california
With my arms around your chest,
And I'll pretend that this is real
'Cuz this is what I like best,
And you've been juggling two women
Like a stupid circus clown
Telling us both we are the one
And maybe you can keep me from ever being happy,
But you're not gonna stop me from having fun.
So let's go before I change my mind
I'll leave the luggage of all your lies behind
'Cuz I am bigger than everything that came before

And you were never very kind,
And you let me way down every time
But oh, oh, oh what can I say...
I adore you

I heard the sound of your bike,
As your wheels hit the gravel,
Then your engine in the driveway
Cutting off


2. Willing to Fight

The windows of my soul
Are made of one way glass
Don't bother looking into my eyes
If there's something you want to know,
Just ask
I got a dead bolt stroll
Where I'm going is clear
I won't wait for you to wonder
I'll just tell you why I'm here

'Cause I know the biggest crime
Is just to throw up your hands
Say
This has nothing to do with me
I just want to live as comfortably as I can
You got to look outside your eyes
You got to think outside your brain
You got to walk outside you life
To where the neighborhood changes

Tell me who is your boogieman
That's who I will be
You don't have to like me for who I am
But we'll see what you're made of
By what you make of me
I think that it's absurd
That you think I
Am the derelict daughter
I fight fire with words
Words are hotter than flames
Words are wetter than water

I got friends all over this country
I got friends in other countries too
I got friends I haven't met yet
I got friends I never knew
I got lovers whose eyes
I've only seen at a glance
I got strangers for great grandchildren
I got strangers for ancestors

I was a long time coming
I'll be a long time gone
You've got your whole life to do something
And that's not very long
So why don't you give me a call
When you're willing to fight
For what you think is real
For what you think is right


3. Shy

The heat is so great
It plays tricks with the eye
It turns the road to water
And then from water to sky
And there's a crack in the concrete floor
And it starts at the sink
There's a bathroom in a gas station
And I've locked myself in it to think

And back in the city
The sun bakes the trash on the curb
The men are pissing in doorways
And the rats run in herds
I've got a dream of your face
That scares me awake
I put too much on my table
And now I got too much a stake

And I might let you off easy
Yeah I might lead you on
I might wait for you to look for me
And then I might be gone
Where I come from and where I'm going
And I'm lost in between
I might go up to that phone booth
And leave a veiled invitation on you machine

And you'll stop me, won't you
If you've heard this one before
The one where I surprise you
By showing up at your front door
Saying 'let's not ask what's next,
Or how, or why'
I am leaving in the morning
So let's not be shy

The door opens, the room winces
The housekeeper comes in without a warning
I squint at the muscular motel light
And say, hey good morning
As she jumps, her keys jingle
And she leaves as quickly as she came in
I roll over and taste the pillow with my grin
The sheets are twisted and damp
And the heat is so great
And I swear I can feel the mattress
Sinking underneath your weight
Oh sleep is like a fever
And I'm glad when it ends
And the road flows like a river
And pulls me around every bend


And you'll stop me, won't you...

The heat is so great
It plays tricks with the eye
It turns road to water
And water to sky
And there's a crack in the concrete floor
And it starts at the sink
There's a bathroom in a gas station
And I've locked myself
In it to think

And you'll stop me, won't you...


4. Joyful Girl

I do it for the joy it brings
Because I'm a joyful girl
Because the world owes me nothing
And we owe each other the world
I do it because it's the least I can do
I do it because I learned it from you
And I do it just because I want to
Because I want to

Everything I do is judged
And they mostly get it wrong
But oh well
'Cuz the bathroom mirror has not budged
And the woman who lives there can tell
The truth from the stuff that they say
And she looks me in the eye
And says would you prefer the easy way
No, well o.k. then
Don't cry

I wonder if everything I do
I do instead
Of something I want to do more
The question fills my head
I know there's no grand plan here
This is just the way it goes
When everything else seems unclear
I guess at least I know

I do it for the joy it brings
Because I'm a joyful girl
Because the world owes me nothing
And we owe each other the world
I do it because it's the least I can do
I do it because I learned it from you
And I do it just because I want to
Because I want to


5. Hide and Seek

Me and all the kids from the neighbourhood
We play out in the street all summer long
Rule was we had to go home at nite when the street lights came on

We were oblivious to the rest of the world
We hold up the cars in the street
We always played boys against girls
And both sides would cheat

Strange men would stop their cars at the curb
Say "hey sweetheart, come here"
And I would go up to the window
And they would have their dick out in there hands
And a sick little sneer

I'd say "here we go again
Yeah, this time you win"
I would feel dirty; I would feel ashamed
But I wouldn't let it stop my game

We would play hide and go seek
Territory would be the whole block
Sometimes the older boys when they find you
They wouldn't want to tag you
They just want to talk
They say "what would you do for a quarter?
Come on, we don't have that much time"
I'd think for a minute and I'd say
"ok, give me the quarter first. fine"

This time you win
Here we go again
And I would feel dirty and I would feel ashamed
But I wouldn't let it stop my game

I remember my first trip alone on the greyhound bus
A man who put his hands on me as soon as nite fell
I remember when I was leaving how excited I was
I remember when I arrived I didn't feel so well
I remember the teachers who got me so sick
Scared, I went into the bathroom and I threw up in my hair
I could go on but you know what it just gets worse
So I should probably stop there.

Girl, next time he wants to know what your problem is
Girl, next time he wants to know where the anger comes from
Just tell him this time the problem is his
Just tell him the anger just comes
It just comes


This song is on:
"living in clip"


6. Napoleon

They told you your music could reach millions
The choice was up to you
You told me they always pay for lunch
And they believe in what I do
And I wonder if you'll miss your old friends
Once you've proven what you're worth
And I wonder when you're a big star
Will you miss the earth
And I know you always, always want more
I know you, you'll never be done

Because everyone is a fucking napoleon
Everyone is a fucking napoleon

And the next time that I saw you
You were larger than life
Yeah you came and you conquered
You were doing all right
You had an army of suits behind you
And all you had to be was willing
And I said I still make a pretty good living
You must make a killing, a killing
And I hope that, that you are happy
I hope that at least you are having fun

Oh but everyone is a fucking napoleon
Well everyone is a fucking napoleon

You say that, so that's the way it's gonna be
So that's what this is all about
I think that that's the way it always was
You chose not to notice until now
Oh now that, now that there's a problem
You call me up to confide
And you go on for over an hour
About each one that took you for a ride
And I guess that you dialed my number
Because you thought for sure that I'd agree
I said baby, you know I still love you
But how dare you complain to me

Oh but everyone is a fucking napoleon
Everyone is a fucking napoleon
Everyone is a fucking napoleon


7. I'm No Heroine

You think I wouldn't have him
Unless I could have him by the balls
You think I just dish it out
You don't think I take it at all
You think I am stronger
You think I walk taller than the rest
You think I'm usually wearing the pants
Just 'cause I rarely wear a dress

Well...

When you look at me
You see my purpose,
See my pride
You think I just saddle up my anger
And ride and ride and ride
You think I stand so firm
You think I sit so high on my trusty steed
Let me tell you
I'm usually face down on the ground
When there's a stampede

I'm no heroine
At least, not last time I checked
I'm too easy to roll over
I'm too easy to wreck
I just write about
What I should have done
I just sing
What I wish I could say
And hope somewhere
Some woman hears my music
And it helps her through her day

'Cause some guy designed
These shoes I use to walk around
Some big man's business turns a profit
Every time I lay my money down
Some guy designed the room I'm standing in
Another built it with his own tools
Who says I like right angles?
These are not my laws
There are not my rules

I'm no heroine
I still answer to the other half of the race
I don't fool myself
Like I fool you
I don't have the power
We just don't run this place


8. Amazing Grace

Amazing grace
How sweet the sound
That save a wretch like me
I once was lost
But now I'm found
Was blind but now I see

'Twas grace that taught
My heart to fear
And grace that fear relieved
How precious did
That grace appear
The hour I first believed

Through many dangers
Toils and snares
I have already come
'Twas grace that brought me
Safely thus far
And grace will lead me home

And when this heart
And flesh shall fail
And mortal life shall cease
I shall possess
Within the vale
A life of joy and peace


9. Anticipate

You are subtle as a window pane
Standing in my view
But I will wait for it to rain
So that I can see you
You call me up at night
When there's no light passing through
And you think that I don't understand
But I do

We don't say everything that we could
So that we can say later
Oh, you misunderstood
I hold my cards up
Close to my chest
I say what I have to
And I hold back the rest

'Cause someone you don't know
Is someone you don't know
Get a firm grip, girl
Before you let go
For every hand extended
Another lies in wait
Keep your eye on that one
Anticipate

Dress down get out there
Pick a fight with the police
We will get it all on film
For the new release
Seems like everyone's an actor
Or they're an actor's best friend
I wonder what was wrong to begin with
That they should all have to pretend
We lost sight of everything
When we have to keep checking our backs
I think we should all just smile
Come clean
And relax

If there's anything I've learned
All these years on my own
It's how to find my own way there
And how to find my own way back home


10. Tiptoe

Tiptoeing through the used condoms
Strewn on the piers
Off the west side highway
Sunset behind
The skyline of jersey
Walking towards the water
With a fetus holding court in my gut
My body highjacked
My tits swollen and sore
The river has more colors at sunset
Than my sock drawer ever dreamed of
I could wake up screaming sometimes
But I don't
I could step off the end of this pier but
I've got shit to do
And I've an appointment on tuesday
To shed uninvited blood and tissue
I'll miss you I say
To the river to the water
To the son or daughter
I thought better of
I could fall in love
With jersey at sunset
But I leave the view to the rats
And tiptoe back


11. Sorry I Am

I'm sorry I didn't sound more excited on the phone
I'm sorry that after all these years
I've left you feeling unrequited and alone, brought you to tears
I guess I never loved you quite as well as the way you loved me
I guess I'll never really be able to tell you how sorry
I am

And I don't know what it is about you
I just know it's not what it was
I don't know why red fades before blue it just does
And I don't know what it is about me
That I just can't keep still
I keep thinking someday I will make this all up to you
And maybe someday I will

I guess I never loved you quite as well
As the way you loved me
I guess I'll never really be able to tell you how sorry
I am
Sorry I am
Sorry I am
Sorry I am


12. The Slant

The slant
A building settling around me
My figure female framed crookedly
In the threshold
Of the room
Door scraping floorboards
With every opening
Carving a rough history
Of bedroom scenes
The plot hard to follow
The text obscured
In the folds of sheets
Slowly gathering the stains
Of seasons spent lying there
Red and brown
Like leaves fallen
The colors of an eternal cycle
Fading with the
Wash cycle
And the rinse cycle
Again an unfamiliar smell
Like my name misspelled
Or misspoken
A cycle broken
The sound of them strong
Stalking talking about their prey
Like the way hammer meets nail
Pounding, they say
Pounding out the rhythms of attraction
Like a woman was a drum like a body was a weapon
Like there was something more they wanted
Than the journey
Like it was owed to them
Steel toed they walk
And I'm wondering why this fear of men
Maybe it's because I'm hungry
And like a baby I'm dependent on them
To feed me
I am a work in progress
Dressed in the fabric of a world unfolding
Offering me intricate patterns of questions
Rhythms that never come clean
And strengths that you still haven't seen


13. The Diner

I'm calling from the diner
The diner on the corner
I ordered two coffees
One is for you
I was hoping you'd join me
'Cause I ain't go no money
And I really miss you
I should mention that too

Yes I know what time it is
In fact, I just checked
I even know the date
And the month
And the year
I know I haven't been sleeping
And when I do
I just dream of you
Dear

I miss watching you
Drool on your pillow
I miss watching you
Pull on your clothes
I miss listening
To you in the bathroom
Flushing the toilet
Blowing your nose

I'm calling from the diner
The diner on the corner
I ordered two coffees
One is for you
The cups are so close
The steam is rising
In one stream
How are you

I think you're the least fucked up
Person I've ever met
And that may be as close to the real thing
As I'm ever gonna get
But my quarter's gonna run out now
Or so I'm told
I guess I'd better go sit down
And wait for you
Till my coffee gets cold


14. Thirty Two Flavors

Squint your eyes and look closer
I'm not between you and your ambition
I am a poster girl with no poster
I am thirty-two flavors and then some
And I'm beyond your peripheral vision
So you might want to turn your head
Cause someday you're going to get hungry
And eat most of the words you just said

Both my parents taught me about good will
And I have done well by their names
Just the kindness I've lavished on strangers
Is more than I can explain
Still there's many who've turned out their porch lights
Just so I would think they were not home
And hid in the dark of their windows
Till I'd passed and left them alone

And god help you if you are an ugly girl
Course too pretty is also your doom
Cause everyone harbors a secret hatred
For the prettiest girl in the room
And god help you if you are a phoenix
And you dare to rise up from the ash
A thousand eyes will smolder with jealousy
While you are just flying past

I'm not trying to give my life meaning
By demeaning you
And I would like to state for the record
I did everything that I could do
I'm not saying  that I'm a saint
I just don't want to live that way
No, I will never be a saint
But I will always say

Squint your eyes and look closer
I'm not between you and your ambition
I am a poster girl with no poster
I am thirty-two flavors and then some
And I'm beyond your peripheral vision
So you might want to turn your head
Cause someday you might find you're starving
And eating all of the words you said


15. Out of Range

Just the thought
Of our bed
Makes me crumble like the plaster
Where you punched the wall beside my head
And I try
To draw the line
But it ends up running down the middle of me
Most of the time

Boys get locked up in some prison
Girls get locked up in some house
And it don't matter if it's a warden
Or a lover
Or a spouse
You just can't talk to 'em
You just can't reason
You just can't leave
And you just can't please 'em

I was locked
Into being my mother's daughter
I was just eating bread and water
Thinking
Nothing ever changes
And I was shocked
To see the mistakes of each generation
Will just fade like a radio station
If you drive out of range

If you're not angry
You're just stupid
Or you don't care
How else can you react
When you know
Something's so unfair
The men of the hour
Can kill half the world in war
Make them slaves to a super power
And let them die poor

I was locked
Into being my mother's daughter
I was just eating bread and water
Thinking
Nothing ever changes
And I was shocked
To see the mistakes of each generation
Will just fade like a radio station
If you drive out of range

Just the thought
Of our bed
Makes me crumble like the plaster
Where you punched the wall beside my head
And I try
To draw the line
But it ends up running down the middle of me
Most of the time

Baby I love you
That's why I'm leaving
There's no talking to you
And there's no pleasing you
And I care enough
That I'm mad
That half the world don't even know
What they could have had

I was locked
Into being my mother's daughter
I was just eating bread and water
Thinking
Nothing ever changes
And I was shocked
To see the mistakes of each generation
Will just fade like a radio station
If you drive out of range


16. Untouchable Face

Think I'm going for a walk now
I feel a little unsteady
I don't want noone to follow me
Except maybe you

I could make you happy, you know
If you weren't already
I could do a lot of things
And I do

Tell you the truth I prefer the worst of you
Too bad you had to have a better half
She's not really my type
But I think you two are forever
And I hate to say it but you're perfect together

So fuck you
And your untouchable face
Fuck you
For existing in the first place
And who am I
That I should be vying for your touch
Who am I
Bet you can't even tell me that much

2:30 in the morning
My gas tank will be empty soon
Neon sign on the horizon
Rubbing elbows with the moon
Safe haven of the sleepless
Where the deep fryer's always on
Radio is counting down the top 20 country songs

Out on the porch the fly strip is
Waving like a flag in the wind
You know I really don't look forward
To seeing you again soon.

You look like a photograph of yourself
Taken from far far away
I won't know what to do
I won't know what to say

So fuck you...

See you and I'm so perplexed
What was I thinking
What will I think of next
Where can I hide
In the back room there's a lamp
That hangs over the pool table
And when the fan is on it swings
Gently side to side
There's a changing constellation
Of balls as we are playing
I see orion and say nothing
The only thing I can think of saying

Is fuck you...


17. Shameless

I cannot name this
I cannot explain this
And I really don't want to
Just call me shameless
I can't even slow this down
Let alone stop this
And I keep looking around
But I cannot top this

If I had any sense
I guess I'd fear this
I guess I'd keep it down
So no one would hear this
I guess I'd shut my mouth
And rethink a minute
But I can't shut it now
'Cuz there's something in it

We're in a room without a door
And I am sure without a doubt
They're gonna wanna know
How we got in here
And they're gonna wanna know
How we plan to get out
We better have a good explanation
For all the fun that we had
'Cuz they are coming for us, babe
And they are going to be mad
Yeah they're going to be mad at us

This is my skeleton
This is the skin it's in
That is according to light
And gravity
I'll take off my disguise
The mask you met me in
'Cuz I got something
For you to see
Just gimme your skeleton
Give me the skin it's in
Yeah baby, this is you
According to me
I never avert my eyes
I never compromise
So never mind
The poetry

I gotta cover my butt 'cuz I covet
Another man's wife
I gotta divide my emotions
Into wrong and right
Then I get to see how close I can get to it
Without giving in
Then I get to rub up against it
Till I break the skin
Rub up against it
Till I break the skin

They're gonna be mad at us
Thy're gonna be mad at me and you
Thy're gonna be mad at us
And all the things
We wanna do

Just please don't name this
Please don't explain this
Just blame it all on me
Say I was shameless
Say I couldn't slow it down
Let alone stop it
And say you just hung around
'Cuz you couldn't top it


18. Adam and Eve

Tonight you stooped to my level
I am your mangy little whore
Now you're trying to find your underwear
And then your socks and then the door
And you're trying to find a reason
Why you have to leave
But I know it's 'cuz you think you're adam
And you think I'm eve

You rhapsodize about beauty
And my eyes glaze
Everything I love is ugly
I mean really, you would be amazed
Just do me a favor
It's the least that you can do
Just don't treat me like I am
Something that happened to you

I am truly sorry about all this

You put a tiny pin prick
In my big red balloon
And as I slowly start to exhale
That's when you leave the room
I did not design this game
I did not name the stakes
I just happen to like apples
And I am not afraid of snakes

I am truly sorry about all this
I envy you your ignorance
I hear that it's bliss

So I let go the ratio
Of things said to thing heard
As I leave you to your garden
And the beauty you preferred
And I wonder what of this
Will have meaning for you
When you've left it all behind
I guess I'll even wonder
If you meant it
At the time


19. Fire Door

I opened the fire door
To four lips
None of which were mine
Kissing
Tightened my belt around my hips
Where your hands were missing
And stepped out into the cold
Collar high
Under the slate gray sky
The air was smoking and the streets were dry
And I wasn't joking when I said
Good bye
There were magazine quality men talking on the corner
French, no less much less of them then us
So why do I feel like something's been rearranged?
You know, taken out of context I must seem so strange

Killed a cockroach so big
It left a puddle of pus on the wall
When you and I are lying in bed
You don't seem so tall
I'm singing now because my tear ducts are too tired
And my mind is disconnected but my heart is wired
I make such a good statistic
Someone should study me now
Somebody's got to be interested in how I feel
Just 'cause I'm here
And I'm real

Oh, how I miss
Substituting the conclusion to confrontation with a kiss
And oh, how I miss
Walking up to the edge and jumping in
Like I could feel the future on your skin
I opened the fire door
To four lips
None of which were mine
Kissing

I opened the fire door


20. Both Hands

I am walking
Out in the rain
And I am listening to the low moan
Of the dial tone again
And I am getting
Nowhere with you
And I can't let it go
And I can't get through...
The old woman behind the pink curtains
And the closed door
On the first floor
She's listening through the air shaft
To see how long our swan song can last
And both hands
Now use both hands
Oh, no don't close your eyes
I am writing
Graffiti on your body
I am drawing the story of
How hard we tried
I am watching your chest rise and fall
Like the tides of my life,
And the rest of it all
And your bones have been my bedframe
And your flesh has been my pillow
I am waiting for sleep
To offer up the deep
With both hands
In each other's shadows we grew less and less tall
And eventually our theories couldn't explain it all
And I'm recording our history now on the bedroom wall
And when we leave the landlord will come
And paint over it all
And I am walking
Out in the rain
And I am listening to the low moan of the dial tone again
And I am getting nowhere with you
And I can't let it go
And I can't get through
So now use both hands
Please use both hands
Oh, no don't close your eyes
I am writing graffiti on your body
I am drawing the story of how hard we tried
Hard we tried
How hard we tried


21. Out of Habit

The butter melts out of habit
The toast isn't even warm
The waitress and the man in the plaid shirt
Play out a scene they've played
So many times before
I am watching the sun stumble home in the morning
From a bar on the east side of town
And the coffee is just water dressed in brown
Beautiful but boring
He visited me yesterday
He noticed my fingers
And asked me if I would play
I didn't really care a lot
But I couldn't think of a reason why not
I said if you don't come any closer I don't mind if you stay
My thighs have been involved in many accidents
And now I can't get insured
And I don't need to be lured by you
My cunt is built like a wound that won't heal
And now you don't have to ask
Because you know how I feel
You know how I feel

Art is why I get up in the morning
But my definition ends there
And it doesn't seem fair
That I'm living for something I can't even define
There you are right there
In the meantime

I don't want to play for you anymore
Show me what you can do
Tell me what are you here for
I want my old friends
I want my old face
I want my old mind
Fuck this time and place

The butter melts out of habit


22. Every State Line

I got pulled over in west Texas
So they could look inside my car
He said are you an American citizen
I said
Yes sir
So far
They made sure I wasn't smuggling
Someone in from Mexico
Someone willing to settle for America
'Cause there's nowhere else to go

I broke down in Louisiana
And I had to thumb a ride
Got in the first car that pulled over
You can't be picky in the middle of the night
He said
Baby, do you like to fool around
Baby, do you like to be touched
I said
Maybe some other time
Fuck you very much

I'm in the middle of Alabama
They stare at me where ever I go
I don't think they like my haircut
I don't think they like my clothes
I can't wait to get back to New York City
Where at least when I walk down the street
Nobody ever hesitates
To tell me exactly what they think of me

A little town in Pennsylvania
There was snow on the ground
A parked in an empty lot
Where there was no one else around
But I guess I was taking up too much space
As I was trying to get some sleep
'Cause an officer came by anyway
And told me I had to leave

And every state line
There's a new set of laws
And every police man
Comes equipped with extended claws
There's a thousand shades of white
And a thousand shades of black
But the same rule always applies
Smile pretty, and watch your back

Smile pretty, and watch your back
Smile pretty, and watch your back
Smile pretty, and watch your back
Smile pretty, and watch your back
Smile pretty, and watch your back
Smile pretty, and watch your back
Smile pretty, Smile pretty


23. Not So Soft

In a forest of stone
Underneath the corporate canopy
Where the sun
Rarely
Filters
Down
The ground
Is not so soft
Is not so soft

They build buildings to house people
Making money
Or they build buildings to make money
Off of housing people
It's true
Like a lot of shit are true
I am foraging for a phone booth on the forest floor
That is not so soft
I look up
It looks like the buildings are burning
But it's just the sun setting in the window
The solar system calling an end
To another business day
Eternally circling signally
The rhythmic clicking on and off
Of computers
The pulse
Of the American machine
The pulse
That draws death dancing
Out of anonymous side streets
You know
The ones that always get dumped on
And never get plowed
It draws death dancing
Out of little countries
With funny languages
Where the ground is getting harder
And it was
Not
That
Soft
Before

Those who call the shots
Are never in the line of fire
Why
Where there's life for hire
Out there
If a flag of truth were raised
We could watch every liar
Rise to wave it
Here
We learn america like a script
Playwright
Birthright
Same thing
We bring
Ourselves to the role
We're all rehearsing for the presidency
I always wanted to be
Commander in chief
Of my one woman army

But I can envision the mediocrity
Of my finest hour
It's the failed america in me
It's the fear that lives
In a forest of stone
Underneath the corporate canopy
Where the sun
Rarely
Filters
Down
And the ground
Is not so soft


24. In or Out

Guess there's something wrong with me
Guess I don't fit in
No one wants to touch it
No one knows where to begin
I've got more than one membership
To more than one club
And I owe my life
To the people that I love

He looks me up and down
Like he knows what time it is
Like he's got my number
Like he thinks it's his
He says,
Call me, miss DiFranco,
If there's anything I can do
I say,
It's mr. DiFranco to you

Some days the line I walk
Turns out to be straight
Other days the line tends to
Deviate
I've got no criteria for sex or race
I just want to hear your voice
I just want to see your face

She looks me up and down
Like she thinks that I'll mature
Like she's got my number
Like it belongs to her
She says,
Call me, ms. DiFranco
If there's anything I can do
I say, I've got spots
I've got
Stripes, too

Their eyes are all asking
Are you in, or are you out
And I think, oh man,
What is this about?
Tonight you can't put me
Up on any shelf
'Cause I came here alone
I'm gonna leave by myself

I just want to show you
The way that I feel
And when I get tired
You can take the wheel
To me what's more important
Is the person that I bring
Not just getting to the same restaurant
And eating the same thing

Guess there's something wrong with me
Guess I don't fit in
No one wants to touch it
No one knows where to begin
I've more than one membership
To more than one club
And I owe my life to the people that I love


25. Letter to a John

Don't ask me why I'm crying
I'm not going to tell you what's wrong
I'm just gonna sit on your lap
For five dollars a song
I want you to pay me for my beauty
I think it's only right
'Cause I have been paying for it
All of my life

I'm gonna take the money I make
I'm gonna take the money I make
I'm gonna take the money I make
And I'm gonna go away...

We barely have time to react in this world
Let alone rehearse
And I don't think I'm better than you
But I don't think that I'm worse
Women learn to be women
And men learn to be men
And I don't blame it all on you
But I don't want to be your friend

I'm gonna take the money I make
I'm gonna take the money I make
I'm gonna take the money I make
And I'm gonna go away...

I was eleven years old
He was as old as my dad
And he took something from me
I didn't even know that I had
So don't tell me about decency
Don't tell me about pride
Just give me something for my trouble
'Cause this time, it's not a free ride

I'm gonna take the money I make
I'm gonna take the money I make
I'm gonna take the money I make
And I'm gonna go away...

Don't ask me why I'm crying
I'm not going to tell you what's wrong
I'm just gonna sit on your lap
For five dollars a songs
I want you to pay me for my beauty
I think it's only right
'Cause I have been paying for it
All of my life

Now I just wanna take
And I'm just gonna take
I'm gonna take
And I'm gonna go away


26. Overlap

I search your profile
For a translation
I study the conversation
Like a map
'Cause I know there is strength
In the differences between us
And I know there is comfort
Where we overlap

Come here
Stand in front of the light
Stand still
So I can see your silhouette
I hope
You have got all night
'Cause I'm not done looking,
No, I'm not done looking yet

Each one of us
Wants a piece of the action
You can hear it in what we say
You can see it in what we do
We negotiate with chaos
For some sense of satisfaction
If you won't give it to me
At least give me a better view

Come here
Stand in front of the light
Stand still
So I can see your silhouette
I hope
You have got all night
'Cause I'm not done looking
No,
I'm not done looking yet

I build each one of my songs
Out of glass
So you can see me inside of them
I suppose
Or you could just leave the image of me
In the background, I guess
And watch your own reflection superimposed

I build each one of my days out of hope
And I give that hope your name
And I don't know you that well
But it don't take much to tell
Either you don't have the balls
Or you don't feel the same

Come here
Stand in front of the light
Stand still
So I can see your silhouette
I hope
You have got all night
'Cause I'm not done looking
No, I'm not done looking yet

I search your profile for a translation
I study the conversation like a map
'Cause I know there is strength
In the differences between us
And I know there is comfort
Where we overlap

[[eof]]