Word Thingys: Salome Strangelove

There are lessens in the margins and others right out loud
There are those that steal your light to keep you hollowed out and down
It can be tricky to distinguish between the giving and the taking
One wrong move and you’ll extinguish all the progress you’ve been making
False prophets always peddling cheap slogans and false choice
Just one foot in the door to sign your name and rob your voice

You can be the girl they write songs for or the one that writes her own
Let others tell your stories, or carve your truth into the stones
The world’ll hand you nothing — you gotta grab, you gotta take
It steals you and it breaks you and it trembles and it aches
You can scream it out or keep it in, or bury it in books
But that won’t change the price you pay for what’s left overlooked

Better to burn, better to burn, you only get one lousy turn
Better to run, better to run, leave nothing left undone
Don’t be afraid to burn — it’s time you learned
Nothing’s easy, nothing’s free where we’re concerned
So shake the bars, howl at the stars, and fight on through
No matter how they try and try to turn those screws
Get out, get out, get far away – don’t ever let ‘em own you

This world’s full of ugly prisons, but it’s the pretty ones that hide
They’ll be golden, they’ll be satin-lined, they’ll defeat you from inside
With promises and primrose, so lavish, lush, beguiling
Honey scented on the pulse points, dressed up nice, and ever-smiling
You can surrender, you can submit, you can fall to the allure
Then you’ll bear all the burdens every caged bird must endure

Better to burn, better to burn, you only get one lousy turn
Better to run, better to run, leave nothing left undone
Don’t be afraid to burn — it’s time you learned
Nothing’s easy, nothing’s free where we’re concerned
So shake the bars, howl at the stars, and fight on through
No matter how they try and try to turn those screws
Get out, get out, get far away – don’t ever let ‘em own you

Oh they’ll tell you get in line, buy your ticket, give a smile
Then they’ll walk you over broken glass and charge you by the mile

Better to burn, better to burn, you only get one lousy turn
Better to run, better to run, leave nothing left undone