Ampersand
Amanda Palmer Lyrics

I walk down my street at night
The singer is taking a walk at night.

The city lights are strange and violent
The singer observes that the lights in the city are odd and intense.

I am comforted by the approaching sounds of trucks and sirens
The singer finds solace in the sounds of emergency vehicles approaching.

Even though the world's so bad
Despite the world being in a terrible state,

These men rush out to help the dying
Some men are eager to help the dying.

And though I am no use to them
Although the singer isn't beneficial to them.

I do my part by simply smiling
The singer takes part by smiling at them.

The ghetto boys are catcalling me
A group of boys from the ghettos are trying to attract the artist's attention.

As I pull my keys from my pocket
The artist takes her keys out of her pocket.

I wonder if this method of courtship
The artist contemplates if this is the way they try to woo females.

Has ever been effective
The singer questions the effect this method has.

Has any girl in history said
The artist wonders if any lady has ever responded positively to their approach.

Sure, you seem so nice, let's get it on
A hypothetical response to the question asked earlier.

Still, I always shock them when I answer
The singer surprises the boys with her response.

Hi my name's Amanda
The singer introduces herself.

And I'm not gonna live my life on one side of an ampersand
The artist isn't going to choose to be one half of a partnership.

And even if I went with you I'm not the girl you think I am
The artist asserts that what the boy thinks isn't a true reflection of who she is.

And I'm not gonna match you
The singer doesn't want to attempt to meet the expectations of others.

'Cause I'll lose my voice completely yeah
Trying to please others would cause the singer to lose her authentic self.

I'm just gonna watch you
The artist will observe their actions.

'Cause I'm not the one that's crazy
The artist is not irrational.

I have wasted years of my life
The artist admits to wasting years of their life.

Agonizing up at the fires
The singer has been gazing at fires with anguish.

It started when I thought that to be strong you must be flame retardant
The artist believed that one needed to be able to withstand flames to be strong.

And now to dress the wounds cause into question
The singer questions the authenticity of trying to heal wounds.

How authentic they are
The singer questions how pure the intentions behind trying to treat wounds are.

There is always someone criticizing me
The singer is constantly under the scrutiny of others.

She just likes paying hospital
A lady takes pleasure in paying hospital bills for the artist, much to her dismay.

Lying in my bed
The artist is in bed.

I remember what you said
The singer recalls what was said.

There's no such thing as accidents
The person the singer is thinking of said that there aren't any coincidences.

But you've got the headstone all ready
The person the artist is thinking of has already planned their funeral.

All craved up and pretty
The headstone is beautifully inscribed.

Your sick satisfaction
The artist finds the person's eagerness to plan their own funeral twisted.

Those his and hers matching
The person also chose his and hers complementary headstones.

The daisies all push up'n
Daisies are growing all around.

Pairs to the horizons
Pairs of things are stretching to the ends of the earth.

Your hands full of ketchup
The person's hands are covered in ketchup.

It's nice that you're trying
The singer acknowledges that the person is well-meaning.

As I wake up to a cough
The artist wakes up to a cough.

The blaze consumed the block
A huge fire destroyed an entire block.

But poetically stopped at my apartment
The fire stopped at the singer's house, which the singer perceives as a literary coincidence.

And my housemates are all sleeping soundly
The singer's roommates are all fast asleep.

And nobody deserves to die
The artist believes that no one should die.

But you were awful adamant
The person the artist is referring to was insistent.

That if I didn't love you
The person said that if the artist didn't love them.

Then you have just one alternative
The person is threatening the singer here.

And I may be romantic
The artist acknowledges she may be a romantic person.

And I may risk my life for it
The singer acknowledges that she may risk her life for love.

But I ain't gonna die for you
However, the singer will not die for anyone.

You know I ain't no Juliet
The singer is not the Juliet from Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet.

And I'm not gonna watch you wanna burn yourself out baby
The artist will not sit idly while the other person destroys themselves.

No I'm not gonna stop you
The artist will not prevent the other person from self-destructing.

'Cause I'm not the one that's crazy, yeah
The singer reiterates that she is not irrational.

I'm not the one that's crazy, yeah
The singer reiterates that she is not crazy.

I'm not the one that's crazy
The artist reaffirms that she is not insane.