HOLD ON MARIA

Lonnie McCool and Maria St. Cloud
spent most every night flying high 'bove the crowd
with chalk in their palms bar at their knees
hurtling through the air on the flying trapeze

But their lithe and young bodies weren't all that flew
they'd been puttin off the sparks as long as we knew
cause the hands that they gripped together were wed
they bound through the air and tumbled bed

Maria once had a lover who was powerful bad
spent half the day drunk and all of it mad
a strongman named Sam is of who I do speak
who left black and blue marks on marias white cheeks

Hold on, Maria

After night so bad the girl couldn't walk
her eyes near swole shut and body pounded and soft
went to old widow Hale the devil to task
Maria had a favor she wanted to ask

Maria spoke sharp, her tongue like a fist
Make him the monster he knows that he is
and live every day in fear of his own life
spend each passing hour like his dear loving wife

The old widow said you don’t know what you ask
remember who’s favor you begged for this task
There’s a price deeper than the coin in your hand
I swear you will crawl where now you can stand

That very night Sam disappeared
no presence of him no whiskey or fear
All that she found were scratches on the floor
leading from their bed and straight out the front door

Hold on, Maria

As days turned to months she felt her body return
not hidden and his but one that opens and learns
and she taught herself that only living was true
that’s when she met young Lonnie MacCool

But there was a black bear wild and untamed
so new to the circus he had not even a name
and he looked at Maria with a face flat and cruel
not just a wild creature but anger simple and pure

one night in their tent the couple awoke
to the guttaral sounds of the bear as it spoke
in a voice Maria could never mistake
cept the voice of Sam who she swore to foresake

and the bear cut ‘em fast and it cut ‘em deep
knocked ‘em down harder than Shakespearean sleep
which puts all the actors right off of their feet
to dream their deep dreams so the plot it will keep

Hold on Maria