"Tailor" lyrics - ANAIS MITCHELL

When he said
When he said that he liked my cut of hair
I became a barber

When he said
When he said that my scent was Eau de Fleur
I became a perfumer

When he said
When he said that he liked the clothes I wore
I became a tailor

And I sewed a party dress-
In and out and in and out
With a needle and a thread-
In and out and in and out
In my head, the thought of him-
In and out, in and out and in

[Musical interlude]

When he said
When he said he was leaving
I took up the violin

When he said
When he said that my body he'd not miss
I became a sculptress

When he said
When he said that my face he'd soon forget
I became a poet

And the fiddle and the bow-
In and out and in and out
And the chisel in the stone-
In and out and in and out
And the fountain pen-
In and out, in and out and in

Now that he's gone away
There isn't anyone to say
If I'm a lady gay, or a crazy woman

Now that he's gone away
There isn't anyone to say
If I'm a diamond or a dime a dozen

Didn't I gleam in my father's eye?
Who am I? Who am I?
Didn't I split my mother's side?
Who am I? Who am I?
Didn't I drink her nipple dry?
Who am I?

And no one taught me how to cry
Who am I?
How to cry for what I wanted in the night
Who am I? Who am I?
And didn't I cry and cry?
Who am I?

Who am I?