Volunteer

My lover left me
She left me too soon
I shouldn’t blame her much
With the state of my room
And I started stumbling and chasing the bells
The metal straps upon my knees
And made a sound when I fell
And you heard those words from your peers
I was just your volunteer

I loved my Uncle Georgie
Uncle Georgie’s my friend
He spent his life fishing
Washing dishes weekends
And I tried to say something sincere
If you sign me up, I’ll volunteer

My father left me
He left me too soon
I thought he’d say something
Before he waltzed from the room
And all I remembered was my hands at my side
The face of a woman who once was his bride
I got left with was tears
And seven lonely volunteers

We look for Sister Mary
Sister Mary the pale
She holds her head sometimes
And walks close to the rail
She sings on a Sunday
And stands on the stairs
She haunts me at night time
When I’ve forgotten my prayers
But we don’t see much of her here
A winter weary volunteer

Oh, how your laugh cuts me
And rips through my bones
We pretend that it’s nothing
When we’re on our way home
And I wish you’d abandoned me here
So I can be your volunteer

The captains need order
It helps them stay sane
The plumbers hate slaughter
It fucks up the drains
And hard-hats must be worn at all times on the site
It don’t make no difference if you’re lost in delight
The men here make loss, their career
And they don’t talk to volunteers

I thought you were dreaming
So I listened for days
The crime wave it hurts you
Even though it still pays
And Babyface Mendoza and the Bruiser Mandrake
Had a plan for re-election using old Jedi mind trick
The Tappan Zee Bridge has grown ears
To hear the drowning volunteers
The Tappan Zee Bridge has grown ears
I hear the drowning volunteers