Takes His Place
Mary Prankster
Says, "Baby, I'm all sorts of sorry."
Says, "Babe, you know I'm all kinds of sad."
Says, "Maybe it was fun while it lasted."
I say, "Baby, I just wish that it had."
Stands before me and his arms are folded
Teeth clenched in a too-perfect face
Turns to leave, an anonymous other
Steps in line to take his foolish place
Each lover's conversation
"I love you" "No, I love you more"
A perfect imitation
Of the one who came before
Every lover tells a different story
Every story always ends the same
Every lover spins the same kind of sugar
Only thing that changes is his name
Every dream and childhood recollection
Whispered to me in exactly the same way
Don't ask me where it hurts, now
I swear to God I couldn't say
That which doesn't kill me strengthens me
Repeated end-to-endlessly
If I'm so goddamned strong now
How come I feel so lonely?
He says lots of lovely fill-in-the-blank
He so stresses that he's not like other men
I sit back, he stands up
And the cycle circles 'round again
One follows right behind the other
Line forms to the right and single-file
Another break-up, another lover
I haven't felt this old in a while
Each loving lie is spoken
How we mean it at the time
Identical hearts are broken
Another goes to the back of the line
"I love you" "I love you"
"I love you" "No, I love you more"
Each sentiment, each resident
Just the same as the one who came before, yeah
Tell me again until I feel something
Tell me again until I feel something
Tell me again until I feel something
Tell me again until I feel something, yeah
'Cause I feel nothing now