There Was John

I was the girl in the bubble at school

Behind my own personal wall for protection

I’d sit there alone like a fool

I never was able to make a connection

Then one day I tried out for the play

I’ll never forget it

A flea in her ear

And I was suddenly someone with something to say

Making a sound everybody could hear

And suddenly everything makes some sense

Then I saw this guy in the audience

And there was John

Fifth row on the aisle

With a big smile on

And after the show he came backstage

And now that this birdie was out of her cage

Well, everything was okay

We date for a year, then we’re cohabitating

Then I get a big chance to take the next step

Away from a job I was hating

And into a slot in the regional rep

In rehearsal all day after day after day

Creating and playing in play after play

And night after night, igniting the spark

Connecting with all of those folk in the dark

And John was there

There with a smile and his hands in the air

Clapping for me and back home we’d go

Happy together for eight or nine hours or so

And everything was okay

And then I’d be gone again

This life takes everything you give it

Like a puppy or a kid

But if you really love it, you live it

And that’s what I did

Played Carousel on the road for the winter

From April to June, I toured Cabaret

Then Mother Courage in stock in New England all summer

And John tried to call almost every day

He told me he wanted some kids and a wife

And that’s when I realized

This is my life

I’d made my choice but I never expressed it

And when I got home

Can you guess?

Yeah, I guessed it

John was gone

Everything on the left of the closet was gone

His electric guitar, and his amp, and his car were gone

Just “poof”

There I was standing under a roof alone

And yes, my heart was almost broken

But I’d made my choice and I’d make it again

And now, where’s John?

I think Portland, Maine or maybe it’s Oregon

With a kid and a wife

And here is me

Another dressing room number one thousand and three

Exactly where I should be

Exactly where we should be

And everything’s okay