Margaret Downe

Aidan Knight

margaret in the morning
sleeping on her side
tossin' men like nickles
into an ever-rising tide

I guess she was a dentist
before she fell in love
freezin' leaden smiles
just to give 'em up

oh oh oh
margaret downe

margaret at the office
margaret at eighteen
she said sit right down a minute
she said lemme clean your teeth
so we settled down in boseman
in the corner of the world
and we raised a couple children
but we lost a little girl

oh oh oh
margaret downe

heartsick in montana we slowly grew apart
the grocery clerk in moncton 
as you were dancing in the bar
you rushed him to the courtroom 
before the bed was cold
and defrosted out my windshield 
when you smile then lemme know

oh oh oh
oh oh oh
margaret downe

many cavities pulling
at our marriage's tender mouth
and at the root of all the problems
was a man across the canal
margaret left the practice
laid in '86
and I left behind the mid-west
and forgot we ever kissed

oh oh oh
oh oh oh
oh oh oh
margaret downe

I knew she changed her number
but couldn't shake the cough
the doctor gave her 6 weeks
which only made her shrug it off
resting in her 5th week
I brought her buttercups
there was too much to say between us
and I'd only fuck it up
so I stared up at the ceiling
and I held her little hands 
and you knew that I forgave you
for making other plans

oh oh oh
oh oh oh
oh oh oh
margaret downe

margaret in the morning
sleeping on her side
tossin' men like nickles
to an ever-rising tide