Let's drink to Isabella
In a room full of repairs
Covering the bruises and scratches
From the wild and restless years
By the time those gla**es reach our lips
She'll be wondering why we're here
Confusion works through her mind
Like the light shines through her hair
"I'm beautiful and wonderful" she says
In a fragile voice well aged
"I've lived and learned every word
On ever worn out page
I was once the one you worried about
I was once the girl you craved
Now I'm standing here all by myself
And I don't need to be saved.
Life's long dirty road loved me
And broke this heart in two
I smiled and frowned up and down the town
And hurt my eyes with truth
I found the places where you meet
People who never leave too soon
They wait 'til you're weak, sick
And you sleep in their cold, cold room
I was young when I left home
I wrestled with the winds
I panicked in the nighttime glare
And preyed I'd find a friend
Someone to take me out of this life
Out of these puddles of rain
I trusted anyone in any old slum
Who remembered my name
And I fell for a cold hearted stranger
In May of '59
He pounded on my frail emotions
Oh, he battered up my mind
But I left him stronger than before
In a pale blue summer dress
And a coat for the cold summer nights
With a "born and die Canadian" crest
I begged for a few whole dollars
Just to get me on a Northland bus
And I traveled as long as I could
Through the greens and rocky rust
And I fell asleep for a long long time
Just hoping for something else
I'd rather be a bum than a slave
In some rich man's rattling house
I lived from couch to couch
Floor to covered porch
I built my life back up
I knew what I was looking for
Some peace and quiet you get from living a certain way
Not saying much, giving just enough
Taking it day by day"
Happy birthday, Isabella
My sister of the west
I never meant to criticize you
Just to give you all my best
I know you're happy, I know you're free
Midnight still gives you its glare
I can learn from your twists and turns
I'll tell you when I'm getting there