Just your standard Homecoming Queen
Just a loony bin hero
She goes hot for the artists and sweet for her mama
You love her when she's manic
You hate it when she's sad
Were you looking for a gilded saint?
Some kind of poet? A prophet?
To lead you to the water in the night?
She'll show you the way though it won't be the only way
You'll follow her there though it won't be easy
And then when she's gone you'll cast her in porcelain
Then you'll put her portrait down in chalk pastel
She was busy tripping on cracks in the pavement
You took her photo in the candlelight so you'd remember her smooth
It ain't what we thought it would be
It ain't what was promised
The walls and the ceiling were solid but the ground was hollow
Yeah we wanted a father
We got a revolution
You can blame it on the medication
You can blame it on the institution
He was aching for more than was given
We could see it in his eyes
He showed us the way though it wasn't the only way
We followed him there though it wasn't easy
And then when he was gone we cast him in porcelain
Then we put his portrait down in chalk pastel
He was busy tripping on cracks in the pavement
We took his photo in the candlelight so we'd remember him smooth
Tell again that American dream
The storybook version
The one with the early risers in the cul de sac
All it needed was a songbird
What a pretty tune
Sweet cantata in the morning light
A little love song for your delight
Yet you find yourself straining to hear the hallelujah in the night
In the night...