At the Ballet

Sheila: Daddy always thought that he married beneath him That's what he said, that's what he said When he proposed he informed my mother He was probably her very last chance And though she was twenty-two Though she was twenty-two Though she was twenty-two She married him Life with my dad wasn't ever a picnic More like a "come as you are." When I was five I remember my mother Dug earrings out of the car I knew they weren't hers, but it wasn't Something you'd want to discuss He wasn't warm Well, not to her Well, not to us But everything was beautiful at the ballet Graceful men lift lovely girls in white Yes,everything was beautiful at ballet Hey! I was happy... at the ballet spoken: That's when I started class Up a steep and very narrow stairway Sheila and Bebe: To the voice like a metronome Up a steep and very narrow stairway Sheila: It wasn't paradise Bebe: It wasn't paradise Sheila and Bebe: It wasn't paradise Sheila: But it was home Bebe: Mother always said I'd be very attractive When I grew up, when I grew up "Diff'rent," she said, "With a special something And a very, very personal flair." And though I was eight or nine Though I was eight or nine Though I was eight or nine I hated her Now, "Diff'rent" is nice, but it sure isn't pretty "Pretty" is what it's about I never met anyone who was "diff'rent" Who couldn't figure that out So beautiful I'd never lived to see But it was clear If not to her Well then to me Bebe and Maggie: That everyone is beautiful at the ballet Every prince has got to have his swan Yes, everyone is beautiful at the ballet Maggie: Hey! Bebe: I was pretty Sheila: At the ballet Sheila, Bebe, and Maggie: Up a steep and very narrow stairway To the voice like a metronome Up a steep and very narrow stairway Maggie: It wasn't paradise Bebe: It wasn't paradise Sheila: It wasn't paradise Sheila, Bebe, and Maggie: But it was home Maggie: I don't know what they were for or against, really, except each other. I mean, I was born to save their marriage but when my father came to pick my mother up at the hospital he said: "Well, I thought this was going to help. But I guess it's not." Anyway, I did have a fantastic fantasy life. I used to dance around the living room with my arms up like this. My fantasy was that it was an Indian Chief... And he'd say to me, "Maggie, do you wanna dance?" And I'd say, "Daddy, I would love to dance." Bebe: But it was clear Sheila: When he proposed Maggie: That I was born to help their marriage and when Sheila: That's what he said Bebe: That's what she said Maggie: I used to dance around the living room Sheila: He wasn't warm Bebe: Not to her Maggie: It was an Indian chief and he'd say "Maggie, do you wanna dance?" And I said, "Daddy, I would love to" Everything was beautiful at the ballet Raise your arms and someone's always there Yes, everything was beautiful at the ballet At the ballet At the ballet! Sheila, Bebe, and Maggie: Yes everything was beautiful at the ballet. Maggie: Hey! Bebe: I was pretty Sheila: I was happy Maggie: "I would love to..." Sheila, Bebe, and Maggie: At the ballet