Song Notes
THE WAR WRIT SMALL – One little girl sits on the stairs looking through the spindles of the staircase hoping against hope that her mommy and daddy will stop screaming at each other, and doing what all children tend to do – blaming herself. She is left, like many of us, trapped in the prisons of our parents’ broken dreams while our parents mute their brokenness with addictions. And, governments continue to raise nearly half of their revenues from alcohol, cigarettes and gambling. “… faith is our fear of death wrapped in a party dress” – Mohammed Hanif, from Our Lady of Alice Bhatti. The “joyful noise” of this song is my “party dress”.
Minuet For The Staircase Children
She imagines herself, light-years ahead, asleep with her memories and grey in her hair
Just another seasick sailor clinging to the side of the bed
And they keep on smiling in that old photograph high in the wall overhead
She just like she remembers for they surrender for a few on the steps of the shed.
Oh, they’re down I the kitchen, their liquored up words spin, like needles into her hears
It’s ok if the kid hears, it’s the neighbours you fear, as her best friend her dog, licks her tears
When the whiskey wears off, they’ll still have their pride, and she’ll feel guilty for wishing they’d died
She’ll be kissed on the forehead. They’ll thank God he’s not dead and leave on the damned bathroom light.
Oh, Mama said, “So, and Papa said, “No”, and Grandma said, “Come let’s play tea dear”.
And holding the lid as she pours for the kid, “They don’t mean it, it’s only the booze”
She’s bombarded with curses, commending she’s worthless and this time she’s just gone to far
There’s somebody pushing, and somebody pulling, in a world that assumes there’ll be scars.
And Mama sits smoking, saying, “Daddy’s just joking. He’ll do nothing he’ll ever regret.
Get closer, what’s the problem? Hug your father, be a daughter. And don’t you ever forget”
Oh, Mama said, “So, and Papa said, “No”, and Grandma said, “Come let’s play tea dear”.
And holding the lid as she pours for the kid, “They don’t mean it, it’s only the booze”
Oh, Mama said, “So”, and Papa said, “No”, and Grandma said, “Life isn’t easy”
And stroking her head, she tells the kid, “It’s gonna’ be better for you”.
She covers her head, and hides in her bed, and says she’ll “Keep quiet, if you don[‘t make me dead”
And it doesn’t get better, before it gets worse; she retreats to a world in her head.
It’s a bloody Mary, it’s a bloody sin, it’s bloody on bloody all over again
Like caught on the side where the waters run high and it’s filthy and stinking with dread.
What does it mean, to be part of a dream, that’s a nightmare most of the time?
Why do you say that’s it’s only a phase, are you confusing your life with mine?
And Father has spoken, “You bitches, you broke it. You’re why I get half-coked and tight”]
And some learn to fight, and some take to flight and some pray to Jesus with all of their might.
Oh, Mama said, “So, and Papa said, “No”, and Grandma said, “Come let’s play tea dear”.
And holding the lid as she pours for the kid, “They don’t mean it, it’s only the booze”
Oh, Mama said, “So”, and Papa said, “No”, and Grandma said, “Life isn’t easy”
And stroking her head, she tells the kid, “It’s gonna’ be better for you”.
Oh, Mama said, “So”, and Papa said, “So”, and Grandma, said love isn’t painless
And rubbing her neck she says, ”It’s just that I cannot accept you as you”.