Smile, he said and it’ll all be over soon
She forced a smile upon her face
Her head turned away
He thought she loved it too
In a dark lit motel room
Unwashed curtains partly open
Upon her face that smile retained
And with it, the pain of what she did every night
Lucinda from Annawan came
Left school and moved away
The promise of a job well paid
That’s the pull that took her away
But when the factory closed, she still needed food and to be clothed, that’s when things got desperate
And so she walked the streets, holes in her shoes, water in her feet
Stain upon the dress she tried to keep neat, her hair blowing in the breeze
“How much do you think you’re worth”
this guy whispered into her ear
“I used to think a lot, but maybe now not so much,
how much have you got ? my dear”
And so that was that, men would come and men would go
Slip her money and never look back, time passed so slow
By 1984, she saved and saved
Even got her own little place
A child, a cat and bills were paid,
Only because of her body that was worth more than the living wage.
At night she would work
Her boy all tucked up in bed
"you know the score I’ll be home in the morning"
That was what Lucinda said
But in the day she didn’t sleep, she just sat up and cried
At the end of the day she had little money, and in her home she had no pride
With every man that came, they took a piece of her soul
Until at the age of 34 she looked so old
That’s when business was slow, times got hard real fast, like the youth and beauty she took for granted her money ran out fast
Until all that’s left was some hollow shell of a woman, her eyes still cry in the daylight, for that soul she sold for money