Margaret Downe

margaret in the morning

sleeping on her side

tossin' men like nickles

into an ever-rising tide

I guess she was a dentist

before she fell in love

freezin' 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 lemme clean your teeth

so we settled down in boseman

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 lemme 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

tossin' men like nickles

to an ever-rising tide