Lot's Wife

Sixteen feet below seas level
Caught tween the devil and the muddy brown sea…
That money…
That money…
That money reach in and spin me about,
my hate rise up, rip my inside out.
My madness rise up in a fury so wild and I let myself go.
Spoke my hate to a child.
Pennies done that. Pennies done that.
Pocket change…
Pocket change change me, pocket change change me,
can’t afford loose change, can’t afford change,
changin’s a danger for a woman like me,
trapped tween the Devil and the muddy brown sea.
I got to get back to the way that I been
God!
Drag me back to that basement again.
Don’t know what I said to that little boy…
Always they’s been people who
hold they head high gettin through.
I cain’t,
Aint never been no good,
findin joy the way you should,
hopin water turn to wine —
hope’s fine
hope’s fine
hope’s fine —
til it turn to mud.
And some folks goes to school at nights,
some folks march for civil rights.
I don’t.
I ain’t got the heart,
I can’t hardly read.
Some folks do all kinds of things and
black folks someday live like kings
and someday sunshine shine all day
oh sure it true
it be that way
but not for me
This also true:
ya’ll can’t do what I can do
ya’ll strong but you ain’t strong like me:
I’m gonna slam that iron
down on my heart
gonna slam that iron
down on my throat
gonna slam that iron
down on my sex
gonna slam it
slam it
slam it down
until I drown
the fire out
till there ain’t no air left
anywhere.
What else
what else
what else
What else God
What else God give me an arm for?
SLAM go the iron
SLAM go the iron
FLAT!
FLAT!
FLAT!
FLAT!
Now how 'bout that then?
That what Caroline can do!
That how she re-arrange herself,
that how she change!
Murder me God down in that basement,
murder my dreams so I stop wantin,
murder my hope of him returnin,
strangle the pride that make me crazy!
Make me forget so I stop grievin.
Scour my skin till I stop feelin.
Take Caroline away cause I cain’t be her,
take her away I cain’t afford her.
Tear out my heart
Strangle my soul
Turn my to salt
A pillar of salt
a broken stone and then…
Caroline. Caroline.
From the evil she done, Lord,
set her free
set her free
set me free.
Don’t let my sorrow
Make evil of me.