Between the Lines - Janis Ian

There’s never much to say between the moments of

Our games and repartee

There’s never much to read betweeen the lines of

What we need and what we’ll take

There’s never much to talk about or say aloud

But say it anyway

Of holidays and yesterdays, and broken dreams

That somehow slipped away

In books and magazines on how to be and what to see

While you are being

Before and after photographs teach how to pass

From reaching to believing

We live beyond our means on other people’s dreams

And that’s succeeding

Between the lines of photographs I’ve seen the past --

It isn’t pleasing

So strike another match

We’ll have another cup of wine

And dance until the evening’s dead

Of too much song and time

There’s never much to speak about

Or read between the lines

Of what we dream about

When we’re apart

And no one’s looking on

To say you’re mine

It was a good year then, it was a good year then

We all remember

The time you threw the looking glass and seemed a fool

Or very clever

Don’t spoil it all, I can’t recall a time when you were

Struck without an answer

We’ll live a quiet peaceful time between the lines

And go together

And I’m striking up the band to play our last hurrah

We’ll dance until we’ve killed another evening off

Don’t think of anyone but me

I’ll have no lovers on the side

Tonight is all we’ve ever dreamed about

For once let’s get it right

We’ll go down flying in the end

Through another bottle in between the lines

I’ll go down like a ship of state

Let’s be gracious now

Between the lines