Camera

You have a list of regrets as long as a river
And a string of lovers that just won't stop
And of course you have roses but they don't last forever
So you get out your camera when the petals start to drop
This one was wistful, he played the violin
He had perfect pitch, his vibrato made you weep
Of course he brought roses and a satin camisole
The cut was not unflattering but the cloth was cheap

Get your camera, the sun is going down
It's going to be a long night, going to be a long night
Take a picture, nothing's going to change
You're safe against the closing of the light

It was your own two feet took you down to the river
And you only meant to drown yourself, stop the change forever
But as you stood to jump your hand went up to close your nose
The gesture so disarmed you, you sat down to think it over
All the times you practiced as a kid
Going through the motions, how to stay alive
It's tugging at your bones, you're a puppet on a string
And even in despair, you are programmed to survive

Get your camera, the sun is going down
It's going to be a long night, going to be a long night
Take a picture, nothing's going to change
You're safe against the closing of the light

It was a newspaper headline you saw last week
It said "Lightning Strikes River; Picnicker Killed"
As though the coffin would be draped with a red checkered tablecloth
And the grave site marked with a barbecue grill
As though your life goes spinning through the changes
Toward that freeze frame, the blink of a shutter
And you're frozen in time, written in stone
"Picnicker," "Pedestrian," "Jilted Lover"

Get your camera, the sun is going down
It's going to be a long night, going to be a long night
Take a picture, nothing's going to change
You're safe against the closing of the light

©1994 Annie Gallup