Last Call
She works behind the bar just like a thousand other maids in waiting
Waiting for a prince to come along and change their lives.
And just like all the other girls, she stands in doorways, hesitating.
They're counting stars and counting dreams, she's counting out her knives.
It's one for sorrow, two for joy,
But that's a game for kids to play.
She wishes that she'd kissed the boy --
It's time to put the past away.
No time to be a schoolgirl or an innocent today.
It's last call, and the wolf is at the door.
At closing time she shuts the door and puts the chairs up on the tables
She takes her pay in pleasantries and all those little lies.
When daylight is a myth and sunrise seems like just another fable.
They're counting days and counting nights, she's counting on goodbyes.
It's five for silver, six for gold,
And hers is not a fairy tale.
It's likely that she won't get old --
The future's not her ship to sail,
Nothing lasts forever, and you only get one chance to fail.
It's last call, and that's what a hunter's for.
So place your orders, place your bets, and draw your final card;
Living isn't easy, true, but dying isn't hard.
She's a dead man's barmaid daughter, and her story is her own.
It may not be safe or simple; it's the only life she's known.
The stakes are high as hell; she knows the odds are never in her favor,
But her daddy was a gambler, and his daughter's just the same.
She knew when she bought in no man would ever come along to save her.
They're counting coins and counting cards, she's counting on the game.
It's seven for a secret that
You know you'll never live to tell;
You can't put numbers on regret --
She knows the ending all too well.
Nothing lasts forever, and it's half-past time to say farewell.
It's last call, and it's too late to ignore.
She counts the crows and counts her guns, counts everything except tomorrows;
She counts herself as lucky every time she sees the dawn.
She doesn't count on joy, but she's had practice counting on her sorrows.
She's counting feathers on the wind, and she's already gone.
So place your orders, place your bets, and draw your final card;
Living isn't easy, true, but dying isn't hard.
She's a gambler's novice daughter, and the truth is in the bone.
Count the cards and count the players. Best to leave the crows alone.
It's last call, and that's what a hunter's for.Written on: 2007-02-22. Seanan McGuire