"Parade Days" lyrics

She was born into mourning
With some war winding down
And if her uncle was gone, at least she'll be around
At least she'll be around

Her folks were good neighbors
A dish when somebody died
When the parish did dances
She mostly used to stand off to the side

A Pontiac salesman
And a beauty technician
A young mother and father
And all the things they wanted for their daughter

School was a stockyard
They just tried to hold 'em
They didn't hold too hard

On the bus with her headphones
Breathing steam on the window
Joining forces in boredom
With the boys down at the bluffs all breaking bottles

Then school was just over
Saw an ad in the paper
A half life in housewares
On the escalator up to Downtown Dayton's

On the sidewalk with sparklers
In the distance the drummers
Her favorite part of the summer

Her mother with cupcakes
Her father with handshakes
It's an honor and a pleasure to present to you
The new queen of the lakes

In the grey of the break room
There's a tear in the fabric
The house is all hers now
The first time she noticed
The bags at the bus stop
Our pleasure to present to you
The new queen of the lakes