Leave Luanne

Luanne's fat lip is drying
The bastard's bacon frying
The shiner on her eye's gone bust and bleeding.

He shouts, "Girl, set the table!"
But he knows she ain't able
Her arm's done broke
Hung limp like yolk
And softly she's repeating.

"Leave, Luanne
Why don't you march out that door?
Southern woman, he ain't no good to you
Leave, Luanne
Louisiana wants war
But it's you dying on her ruby plains."
And yet, loyal Luanne remains.

Ever since he got him laid off
His sanity's just made off
No, he was never nice, but now he's cruel.

He rapes her, and he beats her
She don't ‘fess how he treats her
'Cause a Bible verse
Says it won't get worse
And she won't be a fool.

"You won't never leave, Luanne
'Cause if you walk out that door
His truck will be gunning for you
No, you won't leave, Luanne
Or he'll give you 'What for?'
You got heart where you should have had brains."
And so, loyal Luanne remains.

Someone's howling
Screams like sighing with battered breath
Grating, growling
Never dying
In a fate worse than death.

But months of such conditions
Turn laymen to logicians
And tonight the bastard's sleeping like a log.

So she plucks the kitchen cleaver
Creeps up toward his roped-up lab retriever
And she cuts the rope
And hope on hope
She starts to shout
"Your dog's got out!"
She's got her chance
With no back glance
She runs out to the bog
Screaming, screaming: "Leave, Luanne!"

"Leave, Luanne
You've got a life left to live
In a house hanging off the Golden Coast!
Leave, Luanne
You won't forget nor forgive"
And she don't feel the stings, the rips, and scrapes
As finally Luanne escapes.

Swim, Luanne! Swim, Luanne!
And in the swamp of beeches
Oh, as the preacher preaches
As the light
In the night
Holds through the marsh and brushes
As the blood inside you rushes
Left and right
Hold on tight.

—until you reach the bank
And you crawl onto the bank
'Til you feel a little yank on your hair
And, stricken, stare at the bastard
Who beat you there.

The bastard lies in bed now
Half-sad his wife is dead now
She drowned herself in a swamp in wild despair.

He thinks he used to love her
But push it came to shove her
A wife disposed
A wife case closed
And no one seems to care
To grieve Luanne.

Now no one's on his shoulder
But his mattress don't feel colder
And in fact, it's hellish hot, and the air is dank and steaming.

Yet his body starts to shiver
When the window cracks a sliver
And a fiery fog
From the miry bog
Pours in the room
In a sticky gloom
And there the man
Sees dead Luanne
He's terrified
But he keeps his pride
'Cause he knows that he ain't dreaming
And he starts screaming,

"Leave, Luanne
Hell sent you back here for more
'Cause ain't no one ever loved you"
But said Luanne
"i've come to settle a score"
And she shows him her feet are bound in chains.

And loyal Luanne remains
And remains
And remains
And remains!

Someone's howling
Screams like sighing
With battered breath
Grating, growling
Never dying
In a fate worse than death.

Luanne
She cries her miserable wail
So the bastards will never sleep again!
No, no reprieve, Luanne
She brings their souls down to hell
A caution to the cruelest of men
God loves Luanne!
Praised be!
Amen!