The Hold Steady - Esther

In the m^Ciddle of a mission I met Es^Amther in the kitchen ^GDrinking something blue it looked like ^AmWindex ^CShe could shake but couldn't really sing, Sharpened like a feral thing ^GHelped me with my part when I lost i^Amnterest

She ^Esaid her name was Esther I said ^Fbaby that sounds biblical Ain't s^Che the one that came up after ^GVashti? ^CYeah and then some other stuff At s^Amome point there I fell in love ^GThen she heard a song she liked and ^Amlost me

The ^Cparty ended suddenly, su^Amddenly it's over That l^Feft me an Esther all alone and getting older All a^Clone and getting older s^Ammoking in the street Now e^Fverything is Esther and it's been that way all week

^CThe times that we were powerless were t^Amimes that I remember best When i^Gt first came on it felt just like a^Am blanket ^COnce we had a little bit we pretty much just wasted it ^GTraded in our tickets for drinks and little ^Amtrinkets

The ^Escene back in the city was the op^Fposite of freedom ^CWe were always so damn broke it was this w^Ghole dependent fallacy ^CThey started shooting so the ^Amsongs of the future ^GEsther always wants it how it ^Amused to be

^CSongs all ran together and the kids ran out^Amta liquor ^FThat's when me and Esther started staring at each other Started st^Caring at each other f^Ameeling pretty sweet Now e^Fverything is Esther it's been that way all week The p^Carties fall to pieces the e^Amndings are so heavy ^FFeels like no one's watching when we're this deep in the valley When we're t^Chis deep in the valley you can ^Amsee so many stars When ^FEsther told her story we were sitting in the car

^Am She said her folks were nev^Fer close They had me 'cause they ^Chad to No one named me ^GEsther That came up a little ^Flater It was after some^C detective Came around here with some ^Gquestions I went out to Co^Emlorado Was mostly in the ^Fmotels Started living pretty ^Creckless Started calling myself ^GEsther I just felt like someone different^{Em E}

^CFelt like someone different an^Amd I never could forgive All the ^Fmovies in our heads about the lives we wanna live The l^Cives we wanna live are all ^Amfree of pain and fear Now ^FEsther's getting cigarettes and me I'm buying beer

^CFelt like someone diffe^Amrent felt like someone else She ^Falmost died in Denver, she did it to herself She ^Cdid it herself, there's^Am only her to blame Of ^Fcourse I call her Esther I don't know her other name

She's ^Cnever going home her^Am folks were never close We ^Fmostly watch the TV crack the windows when we smoke Her ^Caura is amazing her^Am room is kind of bleak I met ^FEsther at a party got together for a week