Two People

[Verse 1]
Mr. Weather-beaten hasn't eaten since February
An attack of dysentery left him very wary
Of anything but baby food and milk from a bottle
No one reads the paper to him
His hearing aid is turned on ten
His eyes won't read what he has written
Talks to himself in the morning
"I made a Halloween costume when I was 11
All painted black, fluorescent tinted
And the yellow shoes

[Verse 2]
I scared my mother so much she died six months later
Our father died behind a plough
While I was off feeding a cow
And no one left but me to bring the crops in
I worked hard, went to school, got a job and a 25-year button"
He's wearing a thin masonic pin
Waiting for someone to understand him
And show how much he really loves the land that he lives in
Nothing today is nice to see
When you are 73

[Verse 3]
This flower pot costs a lot
Is sometimes cold, sometimes hot
Would rather stay home than rather not
Countin' red cars from her window
Never felt the lightnin' in her thighs
Never felt a man's shinin' eyes
Livin' alone in a one-room flat
Two hot plates, glass figurines, a candle collection
A photo of grandfather, a man of some means
The Wheeling West Virginian

[Verse 4]
No one sees her come and go
A doctor and some small children
Outside her window
They wrote words in white chalk on her door
Not anymore
She had them all arrested
Her gold ring turned brown
Merry-go-round
Nothing today is nice anymore
When you are 74