# THE WOMAN BEHIND THE BAR Come in, darling... I already know what you're drinking. Black boots underneath the bar, Silver buckles catching light, Pleather shining like a midnight road, Blonde hair shining through the night. She wears a smile like loaded steel, Perfume made of rain and sin, Every man who thinks he's watching her Has already let her in. She knows who kissed who in the cellar, Who went home with whose ring, Who came in wearing somebody's name And left without a thing. She pours the bourbon slow and low, Lets the silence do the talking too. You can lie to every man in here... But you can't lie to her. They call it jealousy. She calls it knowing. I'm the woman behind the bar, I know exactly where you are. I know the shadows at your door, I know what you're looking for. Call it love, Call it lust, Call it heaven if you must. But if you leave your heart with me, Better leave the key. She don't mind a man with secrets, Secrets make a better drink, But she hates a man who thinks another woman Knows the way he makes her think. She'll smile when you mention Velvet, Pour another round for free, Then she'll ask you very softly Why you're looking past me when you speak. She's beautiful enough to start a war, Smart enough to never fire the gun. She doesn't steal another woman's lover She just makes him choose the one. Who was she? Where'd you go? Who touched you? Who do you know? There's a book beneath the counter, Bound in leather, old and grey. It doesn't care about your money, Only what you owe and pay. Alouette keeps the ledger, But the ledger keeps her too. Every debt becomes a silver thread Tied around somebody's truth. And then there's Rob... That bastard always made her wonder. He owned the room, but she knew the room. He thought he knew the players, but she knew the game. The night they said he died, she opened up the book. ROB. PAID IN FULL. PAID BY... BIG LOUIE. I'm the woman behind the bar, I know the devil's favorite scar. I know what every sinner owes, I know where every secret goes. You can buy the house, You can buy the gin, You can buy forgiveness for the trouble you've been in. But money never buys the woman who knows why. I'm the woman behind the bar, The last light burning in the dark. The one who pours, The one who knows, The one who watches where everybody goes. Come a little closer. Tell me what you need. But don't bring me promises you've already given somebody else. I may forgive a sinner... But I never forgive a debt.
