Dudley Saunders: Gutter Broke

the gutter broke
the rain washed down
in a sheet across the window
her kids were sleeping in the booth

she stared him down
he stared her up
his saucer filling
from his spilling cup
'you speak to me boy I wanna hear the truth'
a bleach job flashing roots

while the brake-lights backed up to her face
washed in red from screaming brakes
he missed his brake in a mistake, boys
but she never breaks her gaze
'woman someone's waiting up for you
he loves you and just look at your kids'
'you don't talk to me about my kids don't you talk to me'

well I could load them up behind the seat
rock 'em in the engines heat
with these rumble-lullabies that I find sweet
go chicago up to buffalo
right down through new orleans moving kind of slow
but slick as sweat that grease all these guys inside you
don't you know oh don't you know'

she pets her children in face
black fingerprints left in her wake
her mouth keeps moving
but there ain 't a word that I can hear her say
just 'what's gonna happen to me
what's gonna happen to me
what's gonna happen to me
to me to me to me'

the night keeps yawning in the south
something walking in her mouth
disappearing in the yaw
take this bone out of my jaw
a white line painted down her back
her children catching in the cracks
while every truck rocks down her night
down her night
the dream and light
turn til they're turning inside out
turning down the devil's route
like turning chambers in a gun
turn to a full or empty one
look mama's here look mama's gone
looky mama
looky mama
looky mama
looky what you done

this is a story about a man named Joe
whose eyes said yes
but whose head kept shaking no
kept shaking
it kept shaking
he wants to sleep but her eyes are waking
'take my clothes girl take my money
you knew he was mine you knew he was funny'
ah but that poor boy does know
that her sleeping kids will not wake up
that she's drinking from an endless cup
the fork keeps moving to her mouth
but never never will she sup
'what's gonna happen to me'
'ah girl it done happened'
'boy you tell me the truth'
'you know the truth"
"I said tell me the truth"
'girl you know the truth'
'I said tell me the truth'