The Space Between The Lines

The paper is heavy, the numbers are loud A mountain of debt in a woman’s small cloud You see the signature, but you don’t know the hand That wrote it in shadow, signed underhanded. They say, "Here is the law, here are all of the facts." But the law doesn’t know all his malicious acts. How he would scream and fight, How he'd withhold the mail, Every question became screams of how I had failed. Oh, if you were me, in the silence and fear With the weight of a life that you couldn’t steer Would you look at just the numbers and see only the sum? Or would you see the woman who lived under his thumb? There’s a space between the lines where the truth does flow Where the heart beats a rhythm the forms do not know. I’m not asking for pity, I’m asking for your sight To see ME inside the numbers; to know my plight. I don't know if you’re a woman, if you’ve been there In the quiet of rooms where the air gets too rare. To know what it means to be told “No,” to be told “Wait” To be kept in the dark while life decays in the gate. I don’t have many records, I don’t have the key To the files that are locked, to the doctors I need. But, I do have this truth, and I can sing this song I didn’t amend the return; I did no wrong. Oh, if you were me, in the silence and fear With the weight of a life that you couldn’t steer Would you look at just the numbers and see only the sum? Or would you see the woman who lived under his thumb? There’s a space between the lines where the truth does flow Where the heart beats a rhythm the forms do not know. I’m not asking for pity, I’m asking for your sight To see ME inside the numbers; to know my plight. They say, "Follow the rules and stick to the plan" But rules are for people with powerful hands. They have agency to hold the pen and sign the sheet. I was a ghost in my life, not e'en allowed to speak. So I’m singing this song now, and maybe you can see That I’m more than a number, I’m someone who wants free From the lies that were told, from debts he did spin I’m asking for justice, to be free from his sin. Oh, if you were me, in the silence and fear With the weight of a life that you couldn’t steer Would you look at just the numbers and see only the sum? Or would you see the woman who lived under his thumb? There’s a space between the lines where the truth does flow Where the heart beats a rhythm the forms do not know. I’m not asking for pity, I’m asking for your sight To see ME inside the numbers; to know my plight. Until I can get my divorce, I'm biding my time Writing songs to help me heal from him; making them rhyme. He maliciously slammed me with this huge debt And then he fled, leaving me completely wrecked. Oh please, can you hear me through the numbers and static? A debt such as this, to me, would be more than tragic. My home would be gone, my two fur-kids would be lost, I married an abuser, is this debt my true cost? I hear, "You're so strong, you've survived calamity" "I don't think I'd manage if that happened to me." I was naive; I was careless with my heart I handed it over to a man-shaped shark. And now, I have to beg for mercy from the I.R.S. I pray that you hear me; that you clear me from this man's mess. I never asked for this agony, or this pain I just want to hold my head up; not bowed in shame. Oh, if you were me, in the silence and fear With the weight of a life that you couldn’t steer Would you look at just the numbers and see only the sum? Or would you see the woman who lived under his thumb? There’s a space between the lines where the truth does flow Where the heart beats a rhythm the forms do not know. I’m not asking for pity, I’m asking for your sight To see ME inside the numbers; to know my plight. There’s a space between the lines... Where the truth keeps flowing on. Where I can only pray for help Because my life has been undone I’m just asking that maybe you... Can see that I was harmed. That you can look past the papers. and hear where I've been wronged.