The Hard Way - Shannon McNally

Here I stand judged and bothered by a man

with a feather around his neck

I traded his misspent youth for my better sense

I got a thank you very much

then he split and left me with the check

why do I feel so bad, feel so sad

you know he told me that I would

i never learn nothing but the hard way

cause at the time it felt so good

a young mother with a nursing child sat plainly on the ground

she rocked and rocked that child to sleep sweet, on her bossom brown

our eye’s met for a moment then she looked away

the child cried out in hunger there was nothing else to say

why do I feel so bad, feel so sad

you know he told me that I would

i never learn nothing but the hard way

cause at the time it felt so good

I dreampt I saw a bandit he was pointing with his gun

I don’t think he meant me well no it seemed my luck was done

the channel surfers raged on as he shot the children down

there ain’t nothing makes me sadder than to watch my mother frown

why do I feel so bad, feel so sad

you know he told me that I would

i never learn nothing but the hard way

cause at the time it felt so good

i know this guy he keeps asking to see my inner self

he’s lookin, lookin, lookin and the book’s right on the shelf

so I point out diagram forty two line seventeen

it’s a graph of intent baby is this what you need?

why do I feel so bad, feel so sad

you know he told me that I would

i never learn nothing but the hard way

cause at the time it felt so good

bored ficticious characters inhabiting the earth

misplacing value and finding girth

longing for silence they build jack hammer fences

to tie, tear and castigate their long tortured senses

why do I feel so bad, feel so sad

you know he told me that I would

i never learn nothing but the hard way

cause at the time it felt so good

I headed down to New Orleans to see what do I know

it turns out not very much oh the river told me so

no surprise oh no surprise this I already knew

you can run but you can never hide when the river comes for you

why do I feel so bad, feel so sad

you know he told me that I would

i never learn nothing but the hard way

cause at the time it felt so good