From the recording Two-Egg Scrambler (2013)
Dahlia
(music and lyrics by Chris Gleason)
Chris Gleason: lead and harmony vocals, mandolin, acoustic guitar
Lucy Martinez: harmony vocal
Bruce Bartone: bass guitar
Jakub Trasak: fiddle
Shamus Feeney: resonator slide guitar
Paul Stewart: piano
Donovan Edelstein: drums
Lyrics
Dahlia, Oh Dahlia
Pretty as can be
Dahlia, oh Dahlia
Life’s a bitter dream
Lost your daddy in the crash of 1929
Moved to California
where the men all stood in line
Raven hair and turned-up nose
and lips as red as wine
People called you Bette,
but they had one thing in mind
Dahlia, Oh Dahlia
Pretty as can be
Dahlia, oh Dahlia
Life’s a bitter dream
found a place in Hollywood
just a closet and a bed
Strings of men in uniform
o pay for meals and rent
You would rather starve than wear
a skirt that’s out-of-date
or provide the services
that men anticipate
Dahlia, Oh Dahlia
Pretty as can be
Dahlia, oh Dahlia
Life’s a bitter dream
Inches from the sidewalk
Broken mannequin among the weeds
Arms raised up above your head
Perfect angles, forty-five degrees
Twenty former boyfriends, but the LAPD
had no solid leads
Your killer washed you clean
Once the tabloids caught the scent
of your dark mystery
they misled your mama
to unearth your history
Said you’d won a beauty contest
That is how they pried
before they said anything
about your Chelsea Smile
Dahlia, Oh Dahlia
Pretty as can be
Dahlia, oh Dahlia
Life’s a bitter dream
Dahlia, Oh Dahlia Pretty as can be
Dahlia, oh Dahlia
Life’s a bitter dream
Life’s a bitter dream
Life’s a bitter dream
Life’s a bitter dream
Life’s a bitter dream
Life’s a bitter dream
© 2013 Mule-in-a-Swamp Music (ASCAP)