Betty

Betty did what she liked
Because her father did what he liked with her
come inside, come inside,
It can't hurt anymore

Betty made friends for the drugs
She cried when her friends told her so
No one was terribly concerned
about the marks
She made on herself

Betty moved out at 17
She might as well have
Mom was dissipointed but
She had a grandchild
To worry about
Truth be told
She had given up on Betty long ago

What keeps Betty out of Jail?
Propriety
what keeps Betty off the streets
Boyfriends,
Parents,
Money


But he'll kick her out soon
She can't stand
even an hour or two alone
The daily amount
That most enjoy
She'll give you anything
To avoid

And the man can't take this
He's not a laughingstock
as long as he has a young trophy
at home
Everyone else has a dead-end
job too after all
but they still have
things that will disgrace

So Betty will be sent out
back to her homw town
Don't worry too much
She is too smart
and not proud enough
to work the streets
She'll go back home
or find some other
man in her home town
She will indulge and
be indulged
Until
she's one of those women
sitting at the bar at the Alamo
smoking a long Rodger's
Playing the machine

She will suffer,
Don't think she won't suffer
When she drinks too much
and some boy isn't quite
so drunk,
that he lacks balance
she will suffer

But, she will
survive?
No, persevere
and
and...
it won't seem to be
so bad
and
no one expects her
to fix the holes already there
and
she will manage not
to become
completely unacceptible and
every now and again
when she wears a smile
and dances
she will be allowed to
shudder
and moan
while she is still
dressed and sober

She, cannot,
of course, be
allowed into
any of our lives
We met this girl
in school, perhaps,
more than met
but we have real lives
now, she was never
meant to be a part of this

and she understood.