Mama always told me that he was a no good,
rotten, lowlife
son of a gun
And everybody knew to stay away from him
when the alcohol was running
through his veins
Really though
It was all my fault
For tripping down the stairs
And miscarrying the baby
A bright blue baby boy
Came out silent, so damned quiet
He was still and tiny
It broke my heart in two
seein' his tiny blue hands
We buried him under the oak tree
In the back yard
right under the swing
I loved that swing
My husband loved his alcohol
and hated my incompetence
and liked to leave some marks on a woman
But I loved him
with all of my aching heart
even with all the bruises that shaded my skin
He was the best thing
that ever happened to me
I took all the beatings and the nasty words because of it
But when he brought home that woman
Well, you'd guess I was pretty upset
But I refused to go down without a fight
So that night I lit a few candles
Put on my best nightgown
Waited for him in the bedroom
Even managed to clean all the dirt
out from underneath my fingernails.
I was in the garden all day
After all it was hard work
digging myself up from under
the old oak tree