Maria

Janis Ian

Oh, Maria
Your eyes are like a demon lover's child
and lips of velvet issue invitation
every time you smile
You sucked me in, I must admit
that I was waiting for a sign
Won't you leave me on the corner
by the light,
because I'm stepping out tonight

Oh, Maria
I envy any man who knows your name
Though once I knew you well
I'm not ashamed to be the one
who drags you down
Your life is like a movie
Like a story pasted up on subway walls
Won't you leave me something sacred
when you fall?
unless there's nothing left at all

Your lips are like a faded Spanish rose
and every moment strikes a pose
on every technicolor close
And other women show their teeth,
and schoolboy husbands beg relief,
and empty lovers search the street

Maria
Convince me in the night you know the way
Though every lover brings another
screaming to the light of day
Won't you leave me by the lamp post
In the haze of your perfume,
night fades away
Won't you leave me by the lamp post
In the haze of your perfume,
night fades away

© Taosongs Two. All rights reserved; international copyright secured.