Margaret Downe

margaret in the morning sleeping on her side tossing men like nickels into an ever-rising tide I guess she was a dentist before she fell in love freezing leaden smiles just to give 'em up oh oh oh margaret downe margaret at the office margaret at eighteen she said sit right down a minute she said let me clean your teeth so we settled down in Boiseman in the corner of the world and we raised a couple children but we lost a little girl oh oh oh margaret downe heartsick in montana we slowly grew apart the grocery clerk in Moncton as you were dancing in the bar you rushed him to the courtroom before the bed was cold and defrosted out my windshield when you smile then let me know oh oh oh oh oh oh margaret downe many cavities pulling at our marriage's tender mouth and at the root of all the problems was a man across the canal margaret left the practice laid in '86 and I left behind the mid-west and forgot we ever kissed oh oh oh oh oh oh oh oh oh margaret downe I knew she changed her number but couldn't shake the cough the doctor gave her 6 weeks which only made her shrug it off resting in her 5th week I brought her buttercups there was too much to say between us and I'd only fuck it up so I stared up at the ceiling and I held her little hands and you knew that I forgave you for making other plans oh oh oh oh oh oh oh oh oh margaret downe margaret in the morning sleeping on her side tossing men like nickels to an ever-rising tide