The Canary

I was named after my grandmothers in the tradition of my family I was born after my stillborn sister Romantic idealistic lies, euphemized as fantasy But the water always bursts first from the blister Iridescent light leads down a path That's left me miserable at times With my heart in my throat still beating, still beating Amelia, please, don't go Just stay Don't go Amelia, please, don't go Just stay Don't go Don't go I remember the first time that I felt The cool breeze upon my face I didn't understand it at the time But the calling of adventure and my heart's increasing pace It was the ticker tape that I could not deny Deny I'll cut my hair short And I'll sleep in my jacket so it appears worn Oh, I'm no baggage No willing passenger Those women who came before me Ain't nothing like me, sir Ain't nothing like me So this time I'll do it, I'll do it on my own This time I'm going out alone So this time I'll do it, I'll do it on my own This time I'm going out alone Amelia, please, don't go Just stay Don't go Amelia, please, don't go Just stay Don't go I can hear their pleas and cries falling far behind me Succeed or fail, this is who I'm to become Seven thousand miles of ocean stand between me and my destiny Somewhere beyond it or inside it Women must pay for everything Women must pay for everything They do get more glory than men for comparable tasks But they also get more notoriety when they crash When they crash