Patty Griffin
Sweet Lorraine
Sweet Lorraine
A fiery haired
Brown-eyed schemer
Who came from a long line
Of drinkers and dreamers
Who knew that sunshine
Don't hold up to dark
Whose businesses fail
Who'll sleep in the park
Lorraine who spoke
Of paintings in Paris
And outlandish things
To her family just to scare us
Whose heart went poking
Where it shouldn't've
Whose mother could only
Spit at the thought of Lorraine
Sweet Lorraine
Her father would tear out
Like a page of the Bible
Then he'd burn down the house
To announce his arrival
Her mother was working
And never was home
Lorraine carved out
A little life of her own
Lorraine started working
Lorraine went to school
Her mother threw stones at her
On the day that she moved
Now isn't that a very strange thing to do
For someone who never really wanted you
Lorraine
Sweet Lorraine
Her daddy called her a slut and a whore
On the night before her wedding day
The very next morning at the church
Her daddy gave Lorraine away
Lorraine
Sweet Lorraine
In the battle of time
In the battle of will
It's only your hope
And your heart that gets killed
And it gets harder and harder
Lorraine, to believe in magic
When what came before you
Is so very tragic
Lorraine
Sweet Lorraine
Lorraine
Sweet Lorraine