this infection

I charge my men for every show,
it doesn't matter what they bring.
It doesn't matter what they owe
as long as it's an offering.
They know I'll accept anything
that strikes the fancy of my eye -
a pearl, a pin, a piece of string.
These are the things that get me by.

I'm sure you really want to know
how I got started in this thing.
It wasn't much to undergo,
I'm taking orders from the king
in hopes that I will wear his ring
and gain affection when he's by.
I shudder and extend my wings.
These are the things that get me by.

I would have thought that I'd outgrow
this constant need for wandering.
I need to run, I need to go -
it often gets quite tiring.
This need, it leaves me wondering.
I ran through thorns and scratched my thigh
and now my skin begins to sting -
these are the things that get me by.

I am the bird that cannot sing,
I am the girl that doesn't cry.
I put on shows, it's disgusting.
These are the things that get me by.