Midway

She's tall, she's skinny
She's not getting any
And she holds her head up high
The midway's alive with kids tonight
Hey, pretty girl, give it a try

In the fireworks and the sodium light
You can almost see the cellulite
Feathering her thighs
She's not as young as she used to be
But she's not so old that the boys she sees
Don't sometimes meet her eyes

On the loop-the-loop, on the Tilt-a-Whirl
She's screaming like a teenage girl
Ridiculous, sublime
Ride the roller coaster to the very top
Throw your hands up high, feel your stomach drop
For one last time
Come on, come on, come on

Well, she could drop a five on another beer
Or stare into a funhouse mirror
They make her feel the same
And it comes to her she's never heard
An odder or more alien word
Than her own name

She don't need a great romance
She just wants a fighting chance
To make one last mistake
Cause you can settle up or settle down
You can lie awake or you can sleep around
It's the same old ache

On the loop-the-loop, on the Tilt-a-Whirl
She's screaming like a teenage girl
Ridiculous, sublime
Ride the roller coaster to the very top
Throw your hands up high, feel your stomach drop
For one last time
Come on, come on, come on

Test your strength, toss a ring
Pick a shell, pick anything
Fair or unfair
Amid the cotton candy and the caramel
When the breeze is right, oh, you can smell
September in the air

Come on, come on, come on
On the loop-the-loop, on the Tilt-a-Whirl
She's screaming like a teenage girl
Ridiculous, sublime
Ride the roller coaster to the very top
Throw your hands up high, feel your stomach drop
For one last time

And though it's hopelessly unkind
At the edge she turns around resigned
To go home without a kiss
The fireworks light up the track
The fireflies are flashing back
Because ignorance is bliss