Soft Bed, Hard Night

She's looking forward to falling into
A soft bed on a hard night

Part of her wanted
To bring a man back tonight

But the feeling at the bar
Was a 'go home alone' kind of feeling

So she settled her own tab
And hailed a cab
And had her last glass of wine
On her living room floor

The couch was new
And too nice, she decided
Too nice for a girl like her

Even one making a newly decent living
For the first time in--

For the first time

She'd trade it in
For something with a few more holes in it

One she wouldn't be afraid
To spill wine on

He called tonight

Left her a voicemail
Detailing all his bad decisions
Wondering if they could get together
And act like strangers for a night

That was before her boss asked her to stay late
Just to tell her the company was letting her go next month
And it was supposed to be a surprise

So act surprised
And start looking for a new job

So much for the newly decent

Maybe that's why she never liked the new couch
Because a part of her knew
She wasn't supposed to get used to it

Nothing that nice ever hangs around her long

At the bar, two guys with bad eyes
Offered to make her feel pretty

But feeling pretty was never her problem
Her problem was always what to do
With the pretty

Her sister was a model in Manhattan
And her mother was a lady at a make-up counter

She wanted to be the success story
Free of ties to a pretty smile

She didn't want to wind up a trophy wife
Or a smirk in a skirt

On the way home, the cab hit the post-club traffic
And the car horns and drunken ambience of the city
Made her close her eyes
To try staving off a migraine

Sometimes this place was too much

The need for excitement evaporated
As soon as she stepped foot
Into a crowded place

And then all she wanted to do
Was go home
And have that glass of wine

She sets her alarm
And lets her hand graze the cover
Of an unread book
That she assures herself
She will read this weekend

She takes off her earrings
Then her make-up
Then her contacts
Her shoes, her bra

The breath she's been holding in comes out
And she gets into bed

Soft bed, hard night

But all this is more, she tells herself

It's more than most people have

And that's a nice enough thought
To sing her to sleep