The Canary

(album: Palimpsest - 2020)

I was named after my grandmothers in the tradition of my family
I was born after my stillborn sister
Romantic idealistic lies euphemize as fantasy
But the water always bursts first from the blister

Iridescent light leads down a path
That's left me miserable at times
With my heart in my throat still beating, still beating

Amelia, please don't go
Just stay
Don't go
Amelia, please don't go
Just stay
Don't go
Don't go

I remember the first time that I felt
The cool breeze upon my face
I didn't understand it at the time
But the calling of adventure and my heart's increasing pace
It was the ticker tape that I could not deny
Deny

I'll cut my hair short
And I'll sleep in my jacket so it appears worn

Oh, I'm no baggage
No willing passenger
Those women who came before me
Ain't nothing like me, sir
Ain't nothing like me

So this time I'll do it, I'll do it on my own
This time I'm going out alone
So this time I'll do it, I'll do it on my own
This time I'm going out alone

Amelia, please don't go
Just stay
Don't go
Amelia, please don't go
Just stay
Don't go

I can hear their pleas and cries falling far behind me
Succeed or fail, this is who I'm to become
7000 miles of ocean stand between me and my destiny
Somewhere beyond it or inside it

Women must pay for everything
Women must pay for everything
They do get more glory than men for comparable tasks
But they also get more notoriety when they crash
When they crash