Lyrics

2nd & Magnolia

Anna Mae lives next door to Ralph's Burgers
Across the street from Billy's Drive-Thru Beer
These days it seems the customers ignore her
She doesn't like it when they interfere

She's lived here since her husband went to Dallas
He left her after both the kids were grown
They'd moved and never gave her their new address
She set about to make it on her own

And this is her place here
Corner of 2nd & Magnolia
All seasons of the year
This is the only home she knows
Where else could she go?

It's quiet in the mornings on this corner
The college kids aren't up 'till almost two
Sometimes she'll read a paper someone gives her
She'll nap until the trucks come rolling through

The evenings brings the restless traffic to her
The businessmen and students come to dine
They're here for cigarettes and beer and burgers
And always they leave lots of food behind

And this is her place here
Corner of 2nd & Magnolia
All seasons of the year
This is the only home she knows
Where else could she go?

Most don't notice her
when she sits nearby
Some drop a dollar, some drop their eyes
As they walk on by

Now the neighborhood is changing altogether
New houses being built on empty lots
The tangled vines that sheltered her from weather
Are giving way to ferns and flowerpots

And Ralph's is closing down after next Tuesday
They're cleaning up the grounds to try to sell
They've planted mums and asters by the walkway
And torn down Anna Mae's cardboard hotel

And this is her place here
Corner of 2nd & Magnolia
All seasons of the year
This is the only home she knows
Where else could she go?

This is the only home she knows
Where else will she go?


© Beth DeSombre 2006