Let Her In
by Jim Thompson
© 2017 James D. Thompson

Mabel gave up her only son
When he was just a kid
Now he's got children of his own
Who don't know why she did.

So she puts on too much perfume,
Paints her lips too red,
Steps aboard that northbound train
With presents for the kids.

Let her in, let her in, let her begin again,
Don't shut her out cause way back when,
Open your heart and let her in.

Albert left his wife and child
Took the car and headed west,
Drank his way to destiny,
With a bullet in his chest.

Mabel's world just fell apart,
Why did she ever marry him?
They can't heal a broken heart
In the sanitarium.

Let her in, let her in, let her begin again,
She will just do the best she can,
Open the door and let her in.

Bridge: Somewhere in the forest
Young children playing in the stream
The battlefield has disappeared
Everything is new and green.

He met his mother at the station
With his stomach in a knot,
Sent her straight back on a southbound train
With all the presents she had bought.

And when she died that winter
In her lonely little flat
There was no one to mourn the loss
Or plead on her behalf.

Let her in, let her in, let her begin again,
Living life is not a sin,
Open your arms and let her in.