John And Mary - Red Wooden Beads Lyrics

(John Lombardo/Mary Ramsey)

Manka stamped her feet saying hey hey listen to me
A face she'd never meet, saying hey hey listen to me
Sitting in the kitchen light, prism crystal glass
The banging ledger overdrawn
A silent prayer as if to make it pass
Manka's days were spent thinking hey hey listen to me
Her nights in argument thinking hey hey listen to me
Running down the alleyway to catch the last Guignol
Calling names of cities and a life that she would never know
Late in the evening, sorting what to keep
The boxes in the bedsit, her clothes all in a heap
Manka free at last singing hey hey listen to me
All through her autumn past singing hey hey listen to me
Moving towards the telephone, dinner on the run
The spiral cord wrapped round her wrist, the table sold
A brand new day begun