tears and madness

tears and madness sent to me
tragedies and old wounds have been reopened
pleads i leave them alone
i must escape my asylum

racing down the highway
my own tears and madness upon me
i find her slumped in the sofa, the lights dim
she spins in circles, chasing and being chased

we take a step back
she is reminded of her effect
she calms herself
pretends to feel better for me

days pass by and opportunities knock
we find ourselves in a posh hotel bar
champagne flows first
she engages a handsome movie star

the party moves
i'm in a bathroom doing cocaine
she's at a table talking to a stranger
we get a phone call

another hotel and more movie stars
another bathroom and more cocaine
then a condo and she plays a favorite film
sitting in my lap, another woman wants her

the party moves
a hotel suite where she raids the mini bar
conversations in the bathroom
she gives advice to a cocky youth

sunlight comes and stays while we do more cocaine
but finally the journey home is upon us
but she cannot sleep
she fears lying there, her mind racing with tears and madness

she pleads with me to take her north
i find myself in the lobby of a hospital
she disappears into the back
i take a nap in my car

when i return, she is gone, nowhere to be found
i need to know where, but i am surrounded
i'm the husband who beats her
that's the joke they've been told

and twenty four hours pass
is she in a padded cell
have her wrists been taped
is it electroshock therapy

all i can do is wait and swim around in my own tears and madness
finally she calls
she is less than a mile away
again, i race down the streets

i find her curled up in two day old tights and smeared makeup
a room of lost souls with the price is right on tv
everyone sleeps in recliners
i lift her out of this coffin, to carry her home

she is cold and i give her my sweatshirt
she gives it back because it stinks
i put her in my chariot and take her to her palace
i lay her in her bed and let her sleep

i stand guard for her outside
i stood guard for her all night
i'll stand guard for her forever
her tears and madness are mine to protect