Skin

I’ve met so many strangers

And some of them, you know

Some of them

Become friends

And some…

I heard about a party

At someone’s house

That I wasn’t invited to

A--I don’t know

Somebody redid their kitchen

And they wanted people

To come over

And see it

The kitchen

And I know the person whose, uh--

Whose kitchen--excuse me

Whose house it was

And, uh, I didn’t get an invite

But, you know, it wasn’t like

One of those ‘Everybody’s invited’ parties

That was pretty clear

From what I, uh, heard about it

But, you know, you get to a certain--

There was a time

When I was invited

To every party

No matter how big

Or how small

I got an invite

But I noticed as I got older

And all my friends got older

Or the strangers who know me

That they got kind of tired of, uh--

Having me show up somewhere

And having whatever I was at

Suddenly become all about me

I get it

I can’t help it

But I get it

Even if I sit there quietly

On the couch

Not saying a word

The night, at that point

Is going to be

About me

Someone wants to ask

About my next album

Or my last album

They want to know

About an interview I did

Or something I said

Did I mean what I said?

Did I get misquoted?

Everyone’s very friendly
And even the host is friendly

But I know, I just know

That no matter how many times

I apologize on the way out

As soon as the door closes

It becomes--

Why did she have to make

The whole evening about her?

When all I did was sit there

But people resent

What I create

And I understand that

I even understand

The people I call my friends

Resenting it

I heard that someone

At the party

The one at the house

With the kitchen

I heard that someone

Asked the host

Why I wasn’t there

Because aren’t we friends

And they told the person who asked

That I was busy

But they said it

In a very harsh tone

Because obviously it was a lie

And obviously they don’t like knowing

That maybe some people

Only go to their parties

In the hopes that I’ll be there

And the resentment grows

And grows

And grows

But luckily for me

I have a thick skin

And I understand

And I don’t mind

Staying home

And not going to parties

Where people ask me

About when the next album

Is coming out

I get asked to go for coffee

And dinner

And out for drinks

It’s just the parties

They don’t invite me to anymore

And they don’t even

Try to hide them

The parties I’m not

Invited to

And if I ask about them

In a friendly way

So they know I’m not mad

I wasn’t invited

They say--

You wouldn’t have liked it

You didn’t know

Anybody there

But that’s everywhere

I don’t know anybody

Anywhere