No Regrets

Aesop Rock

Lucy was 7 and wore a head of blue barettes

City born, into this world with no knowledge and no regrets

Had a piece of yellow chalk with which she'd draw upon the street

The many faces of the various locals that she would meet

There was joshua, age 10

Bully of the block

Who always took her milk money at the morning bus stop

There was Mrs. Crabtree, and her poodle

She always gave a wave and holler on her weekly trip down to the bingo parlor

And she drew

Men, women, kids, sunsets, clouds

And she drew

Skyscrapers, fruit stands, cities, towns

Always said hello to passers-by

They'd ask her why she passed her time

Attachin lines to concrete

But she would only smile

Now all the other children living in or near her building

Ran around like tyrants, soaking up the open fire hydrants

They would say

'Hey little Lucy, wanna come jump double dutch?'

Lucy would pause, look, grin and say

'I'm busy, thank you much'

Well, well, one year passed

And believe it or not

She covered every last inch of the entire sidewalk,

And she stopped

'Lucy, after all this, you're just giving in today?'

She said:

'I'm not giving in, I'm finished,' and walked away



(Chorus: x2)

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That's the speed of the seed

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That's the speed of the need

You can dream a little dream

Or you can live a little dream

I'd rather live it

Cuz dreamers always chase

But never get it



Now Lucy was 37, and introverted somewhat

Basement apartment in the same building she grew up in

She traded in her blue barettes for long locks held up with a clip

Traded in her yellow chalk for charcoal sticks

And she drew

Little bobby who would come to sweep the porch

And she drew

The mailman, delivered everyday at 4

Lucy had very little contact with the folks outside her cubicle day

But she found it suitable, and she liked it that way

She had a man now: Rico, similar, hermit



They would only see each other once or twice a week on purpose

They appreciated space and Rico was an artist too

So they'd connect on saturdays to share the pictures that they drew

(Look!)

Now every month or so, she'd get a knock upon the front door

Just one of the neighbors,

Actin nice, although she was a strange girl, really

Say, 'Lucy, wanna join me for some lunch??'

Lucy would smile and say 'I'm busy, thank you much'

And they would make a weird face the second the door shut

And run and tell their friends how truly crazy Lucy was

And lucy knew what people thought but didn't care

Cuz while they spread their rumors through the street

She'd paint another masterpiece



(Chorus x2)



Lucy was 87, upon her death bed

At the senior home, where she had previously checked in

Traded in the locks and clips for a head rest

Traded in the charcoal sticks for arthritis, it had to happen

And she drew no more, just sat and watched the dawn

Had a television in the room that she'd never turned on

Lucy pinned up a life worth's of pictures on the wall

And sat and smiled, looked each one over, just to laugh at it all

No Rico, he had passed, 'bout 5 years back

So the visiting hours pulled in a big flock o' nothin

She'd never spoken once throughout the spanning of her life

Until the day she leaned forward, grinned and pulled the nurse aside

And she said:

'Look, I've never had a dream in my life

Because a dream is what you wanna do, but still haven't pursued

I knew what I wanted and did it till it was done

So i've been the dream that I wanted to be since day one!'

Well!

The nurse jumped back,

She'd never heard Lucy even talk,

'Specially words like that

She walked over to the door, and pulled it closed behind

Then Lucy blew a kiss to each one of her pictures

And she died.



(Chorus x2)



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