the ballad of miss amelia

Singer:suzanne vega

on any southern afternoon

if anyone would care to look

a face appears inside a house

a terrible face

it is sexless

and white

it is dim

like the faces

in dreams. it's miss amelia

she's waiting by the window

remembering the laughing

in the cafe down below

once miss amelia

married a man

she married marvin masu

no one could understand

she must have done it for the presents

cause she didn't like him much

and even on their wedding night

she wouldn't let him touch

well

he hung around the doorways

acting foolish with bliss

until he came too close one day

she swung once with her fist

miss amelia was a strong woman

she was big and tall

swung once and marvin masu

well he fell against the wall

now miss amelia is

sitting by the shutters

remembering the laughing

in the cafe long ago. after marvin masu

had long gone away

a little hunchback came to town

and this is strange to say

that miss amelia who had never loved

she fell in love with him

he was a skipping little troublemaker

still she took him in

and so they lived together

and were happy for a time

everybody came around

and they would drink and dine

miss amelia made a whiskey

it was fine and it was rare

would warm a man into his soul

and show' the writing there

miss amelia's story

is simple and sad

marvin masu

he returned to town

with all the evil that he had

the skipping little hunchback

he was quite impressed

with marvin macy's history

of robbery and the rest

i will not get specific

but just let it now be said

there was terrible light one night

and miss amelia was ahead

until the little hunchback

jumped in on marvin macy's side

everybody all agreed

that's the night the cafe died

on any southern afternoon

if anyone would care to look

a face appears inside a house

a terrible face

it is sexless and white

it is dim

like the faces

in dreams

it's miss amelia

she's waiting by the window

remembering the laughing

in the cafe down below

it's miss amelia

sitting by the shutters

remembering the laughing

in the cafe long ago.