Patty Larkin

Her face is as long as a night that won't end
She watches time pass like she's seen everything
Her jacket is torn with brambles and thorns
Worn down at the sleeve

It's a little too large for her and her shoulders bend
But she can care less about such things as these
There's a radio on and it warms up the wind
Like the hand of a friend in the breeze

She sleeps on a grate behind Copley Place
Where the heat is escaping from skyscraper space
And she follows the news
From a paper that's been used by some worker in there

She clips out the notices and clips them inside
Her salvation coat lying there beside her
Before it gets dark
She's gonna walk to the park
And listen to the music for free

And it's only the will to survive
Only the look in her eye
That gets her by
Gets her by

She heads across town in no particular direction
Her face wears the look of a lack of expression
She's long given up on her idea of perfection
In this life

She remembers a guy that she saw in the gutter
Crying out for a sister or a brother
He looked like her father
She felt like his mother
She wanted to be his wife

She still hears the sounds of goodbye
It makes her hold on to the sky
And that gets her by
Gets her by
Gets her by

Her face is as long as a night that won't end
She watches time pass like she's seen everything
Her jacket is torn with brambles and thorns
Worn down at the sleeve

Last time I saw her it was down by the river
I looked in my pocket for something I could give her
She sat down for a while
Gave me a little smile
Looked straight ahead, then at me

And it's just one more reason to cry
Just one more reason to try
And it gets me by
Gets me by

Only the will to survive
Only a look in the eye
Gets us by
Gets us by
Gets us by