Suck It Up, Buttercup

(album: Amanda Palmer & Friends Present Forty-Five Degrees: Bushfire Charity Flash Record - 2020)

Walking through the woods I saw a sign nailed to a tree
I knew the sign was meant for girls like me who couldn't read

A man with a girl by the throat
A bottle of dettol
A bottle of rum
And a painting of smoke
Coming off of a settler's roof
It looked just like a house I knew

Walking down the street I saw a sign nailed to a tree
I knew the sign was made for girls like me who couldn't read
The rain came down I shut my eyes
I opened them again
I tried real hard to make some sense of what the pictures meant

A man hanging down from a tree
A man that look something like me
A bottle of dettol
A bottle of pills
And a painting of smoke
Coming out of a house on fire
It looked just like my neighbors house

C is for civilized now we will make you
And B is for baptism now we will name you
And P its for petticoat pretty and fitting
Now here is the paper that said you were willing

Old prescriptions left in bottles
You don't give that to a child
Human chains that stretch for miles
You don't give that to a child
Time is up
Suck it up
Buttercup

Walking to the bar I saw a sign nailed to a tree
I knew the sign was meant for girls like me who couldn't read
I tried my best to understand but still I feel I've failed
I even tried to kill myself I even did my nails

A woman tied up in the back of a truck
A man in a uniform
A man with his pants down

And a man with a gun

A bottle of dettol
And painting of smoke
Coming off of the tasman strait
It looked just the maps from school

D is for devil and also for daughter
And T is for truth
And S is for slaughter
And R is for Rapist
And F is for Father
Its time for the test
Here's your pencil and paper

And B is for Brother who hid in the bedroom
And F is for friend who stood by and did nothing
And Q is for quarrelsome crass little girl
And E's for the end of the W world

Old prescriptions left in bottles
You don't give that to a child
Human chains that stretch for miles
You don't give that to a child
Time is up
Suck it up
Buttercup

Walking through the woods I saw a sign nailed to a tree
I saw the picture of the girl
I knew the girl was me
I'm sorry that you had to waste your paint on everyone
I'm sorry that I'm still alive
I'm sorry I'm so dumb

A is for I'm

Then I saw the sign catch on fire
The tree catch on fire
The woods catch on fire
The world catch on fire

And then I saw my mother
Walking out of the embers

She said
No more trees means no more hangings
No more words and no more learning
No more fighting no more fire
Go to sleep now mama's tired

No more trees and no more hangings
No more words and no more learning
No more fighting no more fire
Go to sleep now mama's tired
Go to sleep now mama's tired
Go to sleep now mama's tired