"Husbands And Other Strangers" lyrics

She said, I always loved the navy
Something about the uniforms
In fact, the day I met my husband
Did you know he had it on?

Some men can't take no for an answer
I've known so many of them
So I pretend not to remember
When you ask me who he is
I don't remember him

And I wish I was stronger
I wish I had longer
I wish I could save you from the water
But there is no life vest
Why is life like this
After all of this time
I don't know when to leave it
Alone
Alone

You know, most of them never loved me
Only loved the things I had
If they couldn't trick me or convince me
They'd try to force my hand
But, of course there were some good ones
The men that made the staunchest friends
I lost them all back in the eighties
Some right in this bed
Soon I'll join them

And I wish I was stronger
I wish I had longer
I wish I could stop the boat taking on water
But there is no life vest
Why is life like this?
After all of this time
I don't know when to leave it
Alone
Alone

She says they don't appreciate you
They don't know just what they have
Would be better to die widowed
Than to lose a decent man
We stay up all night drinking coffee
I try to make her laugh
Drunk and tangled up in cables
Yelling at a photograph
As if it might talk back

You started shredding photos
The closer you got to the end
You said let 'em come and bulldoze
Whatever else is left
And I knew what you meant