it was raining hard in ‘frisco
i needed one more fare to make my night
a lady up ahead waved to flag me down
she got in at the light
oh where you going to my lady blue
it’s a shame you ruined your gown in the rain
she just looked out the window and said
sixteen parkside lane
something about her was familiar
i could swear i’d seen her face before
but she said i’m sure you’re mistaken
and she didn’t say anything more
it took a while but she looked in the mirror
and she glanced at the license for my name
a smile seemed to come to her slowly
it was a sad smile just the same
and she said how are you harry
i said how are you sue
through the too many miles
and the too little smiles
i still remember you
it was somewhere in a fairy tale
i used to take her home in my car
we learned about love in the back of the dodge
the lesson hadn’t gone too far
you see she was gonna be an actress
and i was gonna learn to fly
she took off to find the footlights
and i took off to find the sky
oh i’ve got something inside me
to drive a princess blind
there’s a wild man wizard
he’s hiding in me illuminating my mind
oh i’ve got something inside me
not what my life’s about
cause i’ve been letting my outside tide me
over ’till my time runs out
baby’s so high that she’s skying
yes she’s flying afraid to fall
i’ll tell you why baby’s crying
cause she’s dying aren’t we all
there was not much more for us to talk about
whatever we had once was gone
so i turned my cab into the driveway
past the gate and the fine trimmed lawns
and she said we must get together
but i knew it’d never be arranged
and she handed me twenty dollars
for a two fifty fare she said
harry keep the change
well another man might have been angry
and another man might have been hurt
but another man never would have let her go
i stashed the bill in my shirt
and she walked away in silence
it’s strange how you never know
but we’d both gotten what we’d asked for
such a long long time ago
you see she was gonna be an actress
and i was gonna learn to fly
she took off to find the footlights
and i took off for the sky
and here she’s acting happy
inside her handsome home
and me i’m flying in my taxi
taking tips and getting stoned
i go flying so high when i’m stoned
Artist: Harry Chapin
Year: 1972
Decade: 70s
Language: en
Word Count: 223