The Borrowed Parts

All day long

They come in

And out

And all of them

Belong

To someone else

I met a woman at the ice machine

And I could tell

From how she was looking at me

That she had her own

Stolen property

Back in her room

I can spot ‘em now

The ones who borrow

And the ones who own

At the supermarket

They cut me in line

And I just laugh

Because if that’s what you gotta do

And if that’s all you can do

To prove you’re somebody

Well then--

Good for you, honey

You put that flat ass of yours

Right in front of me

And you see if I care

Because I won’t

Every so often

When I’m really in the dumps

I do what I did this afternoon

Hollered out

To all my borrowed friends

And say--

Hello gentlemen

This room number

This motel

From this time to this time

See you then

And they show up

One at a time

Or a few at a time

And sometimes they know each other

And sometimes one gets nervous

And ducks out

Before anything good happens

And nothing that happens

Surprises me

At all

Not at all

I kind of have to bury myself

In my problems sometimes

Because if I just float in ‘em

It’s not enough

To keep me

From cracking up

You know what I mean?

Every kind of car

Goes by the windows

And I think about time

Slowing to a stop

So I can just live in slow motion

And never have to try

To be something else

The faces aren’t the same

Like you’d think they’d be

That’s the part

That always

Takes me

By surprise

One’s got a nose

Like Captain Hook

And another smells

Like bread

And Budweiser

Two other ones

Have the softest skin

And one keeps asking me--

Are you okay?

How about now?
Are you okay now?

And I just keep saying--

Yes

But who the hell knows

If they’re okay or not

Is anybody okay?

You okay?

No, really--

You okay?

When it’s all over with

I go home to my husband

In my pretty pretty pink house

On top of the highest hill

You ever saw in your life

‘Cause see

I’m borrowed too

Even to myself

I’m only on loan

A part of got loaned out

Years ago

And I just--

Ha

I never got it back, I guess

Nobody saw fit

To return it

But every time

I lock myself in a room

And give more of myself away

I keep thinking

This is how

I get it back

By giving away so much

The only thing left is nothing

And that’s something

That feels like mine

Nothing

Feels like

It belongs only

To me