belinda

when i first met belinda

it was down in corpus christi

back in august i believe

back in '53

she was workin' as a dancer

and her life-size tinted photo

beckoned tantalizingly from the marquee

the red neon was flashing

music poured out on the street

and the club

i'm sure

had seen it's better days

and a sea of blurry eyes

and upturned faces watched belinda

as she danced within the noisy

smoky haze

you may know my body

but you cannot know my mind

she moved her lips but didn't make a sound

you may know my body

but you cannot know my mind

then she'd dip and twirl and smile and dance around

belinda was a beauty

she revealed her body slowly

so that all the cowboys strained and craned to see

her sequined skirts would swirl and twirl

and catch the light and sparkle

and belinda's eyes would wander restlessly

now i did not know belinda

when she was a little girl

but as a child

i'm sure she often dreamed

and i used to wonder

used to ponder

just what did go wrong

but then belinda was not always what she seemed

you may know my body

but you cannot know my mind

she moved her lips but didn't make a sound

you may know my body

but you cannot know my mind

then she'd dip and twirl and smile and dance around

then one night i wrote a hasty note

and threw it on the stage

askin' her if she would have a drink with me

and we talked of many things

about the sunshine and the country

and a tear came to her eye quite suddenly

and i listened to her

thought about her

finally i asked her

tell me