Painting her Fingernails
Bobby Bare Jr. Lyrics

She's paintin' her fingernails, waitin' for somethin' to happen
She's bored and doesn't have much going on in her life, so she's painting her nails in the hopes that something exciting will come her way

Listenin' to love songs watchin' the clock on the wall
She's lost in thought, listening to love songs and watching the clock, wondering when her life will change for the better and someone will come into her life

She could fix a cheese sandwich, but someone might ask her to dinner
She's hesitant to make herself a meal because she wants to be asked out to eat instead, so she's holding out to see if someone offers to take her out

So she's paintin' her fingernails, waitin' for someone to call
She's still waiting for something exciting to happen, so she's continuing to paint her nails and hoping that someone will give her a call

There's a torn yellow photograph stuck in the edge of the mirror
There's a photo that's old and damaged, but still holds sentimental value to her that's been stuck on the mirror for quite some time

By the Raggedy Ann doll she played with when she was a child
There's an old Raggedy Ann doll that holds sentimental value to her, as it was a toy she had when she was a child that brings back fond memories

There's a top dresser drawer filled with jewelry, pills and old letters
There's a drawer in her dresser that holds various items, including jewelry, prescription pills, and old letters from people who used to be important to her

And she's paintin' her fingernails, dreamin' of Paul Newman's smile
She's still painting her nails, but instead of waiting for something exciting, she's now dreaming of a certain someone - in this case, the famous actor Paul Newman's smile

There's a sink full of dishes left over from three lonely breakfasts
There are still stacks of dirty dishes in the sink from breakfasts she had previously made for herself, reflecting her loneliness and lack of someone to share meals with

And some old Glamour magazines all very neatly arranged
She has some old magazines on her table, arranged in a very neat order, perhaps as a coping mechanism for her boredom and loneliness

But the magazines just make her feel that she's fat and she's ugly
The magazines she has been looking through don't make her feel any better, in fact they only bring her down and make her feel unattractive

So she's paintin' her nails, waitin' for somethin' to change
Despite feeling down about herself, she's still painting her nails, hoping that something in her life will change soon

On her desk is a macramé she started back last December
On her desk is a macramé project she had started but never finished back in the previous year's December

And the bright gilded Christmas card he sent her three years ago
There's a bright and fancy Christmas card she still keeps around, sent to her by someone special to her more than 3 years ago

So she stretches her legs in an exercise she's been neglecting
She's trying to keep herself busy and healthy, while also neglecting certain exercises she should be doing to maintain her physical wellbeing

She's paintin' her nails, hopin' that age doesn't show
She's getting older and worries that her age might show in her appearance, so she keeps painting her nails in hopes of keeping herself looking youthful

And it dawns on her the telephone just might be out of order
She realizes that something might be wrong with the phone, and that's why she hasn't received any calls recently

She picks it up -- hears the tone and sets it down again
She hesitates to take the call, perhaps because she's nervous about who might be on the other line or simply lacks the energy to talk on the phone

Hell, there's lots of other men
She reminds herself that there are plenty of other men in the world, so she shouldn't get too worried or hung up on one particular person

And if she has to, she can always call a friend
She knows that she has friends she can reach out to if she wants to socialize or talk to someone, even if it's not a romantic partner

In the fridge, there's what's left of last Wednesday night's candlelight dinner
There are still leftovers from a romantic dinner she cooked and ate alone last Wednesday night sitting in the fridge

On her neck is the love mark he left her to prove he was there
Despite being alone, she still carries with her sensual memories left by someone special, such as a love mark left on her neck as a 'proof' that he had been there earlier

Should call the dentist and take her red coat to the cleaners
She needs to take care of and tend to her personal grooming, such as making a dental appointment and cleaning her coat to keep it in pristine condition

But she's paintin' her fingernails, wonderin' if anyone cares
Despite her attempt at maintaining her appearance, she wonders if anyone actually cares or notices, and still harbors feelings of loneliness and boredom in her life

She undresses seductively in front of -- Johnny Carson
She attempts to be seductive in front of the TV, in this case, in front of the show's host, Johnny Carson, as a way of fulfilling her own desires in the absence of someone else

And smiles goodnight to the bullfighter there on the wall
She's acknowledging the bullfighter figurine hung on the wall and say goodnight to it, perhaps as a part of her routine or superstition

And she crawls into bed knowin' that this time tomorrow
She goes off to bed knowing that life will continue on and that things will not remain stagnant forever

She'll be paintin' her fingernails, waitin' for someone to call
Yet she goes to sleep, still continuing to paint her nails, waiting for the day that someone or something better will come around and change her life for the better