Layla

Layla By Dennis Gilkey (V1) Little Layla hugs her knees by the cracked windowpane, Watchin' her Mama's taillights disappear in the drivin' rain, Her Mama leaves when the streetlights come on, never says where she's gone, Layla paints on a smile that no child should have to put on, Nine years old and she's already learnin' how to disappear, Stackin' silence like red bricks till the hurt can't get in here... (C) She don’t know why love leaves, Like taillights in the rain, Why goodbye comes easy, But the hurt always stays, She’s just holdin’ to the pieces, Tryin’ not to break,  Layla’s learnin’ way too young, How hearts get left that way... (V2) Marcus grew up on the corner where the deals were made, Told himself just one more year, the plans he had laid, But one year turned to three, turned to a number and a cell, Writing letters to his little girl from the other side of hell, Layla's  got his eyes, she’s already learned not to trust much, Another new face at the door and her mama says, “Layla, don’t wait up”... (C) Round and round it goes now, Like shadows, smoke, and blame, One leaves, one stays, one grows up, Thinkin’ love works that way, Somebody’s gotta stop it, Before it takes another name, ’Cause breakin’ free and breakin’ down, Can feel almost the same... (V3) Now Layla's eighteen with a duffel by the screen door frame, Her daddy died in that pen,  they barely speak his name, Her mama's in the next room with somebody new again, Same old house, same broken hearts, same lies come rolling in, She's been packin' light for years, she don't need much to go, Lord there's a difference between moving on and running from the cold... (FC) Now She’s got those car keys in her shakin’ hand, She's Starin’ down that darkened lane, Layla ain’t runnin’ toward a promise, She’s just runnin’ from the pain, Prayin’ there’s a life ahead of her, That don’t end the way it came... Oh please don't end the way it came...