Ani DiFranco
Life Boat
Every time I open my mouth
I take off my clothes
I'm raw and frostbitten from
Being exposed
I got red scabby hands
And purple scabby feet
And you can smell me coming from
Halfway down the street

And I remember that old hotel had quite the smell
Where I'd go to use the phone
Between the donut shop and the pizza parlor
Where I learned to live alone
Sweet sixteen and smiling
My way out of any jam
Learning the ways of the world, oh my
Learning the ways of man

And I didn't really want a baby
And I guess that I had a choice
But I just let it grow inside me
This persistent little voice
And I guess I got her off and running
And then run off is what she did
And that's part of what I think about
When I think about that kid
So now there's nothing left to wish upon
Except for passing cars
The cacophony of city lights
Is drowning out the stars
This park bench is a life boat
And the rest a big dark sea
And I'm just gonna lie here until
Something comes and finds me

Yeah I got this tired old face
Still grinning most of the time
Just 'cause it don't have a better way
To express what's on it's mind
And I got this running monologue
Entertaining in its outrage
And I've got the air of an animal
That's been living in a cage

Every time I open my mouth
I take off my clothes
I'm raw and frostbitten from
Being exposed
I got red scabby hands
And purple scabby feet
And you can smell me coming from
Halfway down the street