quarters

Lyrics

​vi. quarters SADIE ​after the karaoke incident ​i started to feel like my villagers were getting sick of me ​hey zippy! ZIPPY ​ohh uh hi sadie ​i'm being alone with my thoughts today— SADIE ​my time played was averaging around…14 hours a day by this point? ​but i had a lot of work to do! ​i had decided to make something special for my villagers: ​a carnival! ​in my grandparents' town ​every summer there came a carnival ​for the festival of fish ​my sister and i would eat fried cod and french fries with vinegar ​throwing ping pong balls in goldfish bowls ​and flying through the sky on jankity rides— WOLF ​step right up to the house of mirrors! ​ride the death-defying matterhorn! SADIE ​and of course, hitting the arcade ​this one time ​when i was 11 ​my grandma gave me SADIE, SUSAN, BECKETT & WOLF ​a roll of quarters SADIE ​she was a little bit crazy 'bout coins; ​grandpa had his woodshed and grandma had her coins! SADIE, SUSAN & BECKETT ​she'd sit at the dining room table with huge plastic cheese puff tubs SADIE ​spilling out with coins SADIE, SUSAN & BECKETT ​collecting state quarters ​and checking the years on her pennies GRANDFATHER ​and don't go wasting it all on video games sadie! SADIE ​i won't grandpa! ​and i meant it; i wanted to save it for something special ​so when we went to the arcade ​i said, one game of ms. pac-man, and that's it ​but this time they had a row of those machines ​where you put in a quarter ​and it rolls down a little slide ​and lands in front of a little pushing machine ​that pushes everything to the edge WOLF ​come try your hand at the coin pusher! ​fortune and delight await! SADIE, SUSAN, BECKETT & WOLF ​quarters, prizes, treats, dollars SADIE ​so many quarters! ​and they're all right there ​on a razor's edge ​just about to ​just about to fall ​and if something falls ​you win it ​quarter in ​roll ​clink ​push push push push push push ​nothing falls ​nothing falls ​quarter in ​roll ​clink ​push push push push push push ​nothing falls ​nothing falls ​i could see that if i kept pouring quarters in ​i could win ​quarter in ​roll ​clink ​push push push push push push 2 quarters fall! ​okay 3 in 2 out 1 down ​stick around ​one might fall ​one might fall SADIE & SUSAN ​quarter in ​roll ​clink ​push push push push push push ​nothing falls ​nothing falls ​quarter in ​roll ​clink ​push push push push push push 2 quarters fall! SADIE ​okay 5 in 3 out 2 down ​stick around ​one might fall SADIE, SUSAN & BECKETT ​quarter in ​roll ​clink ​push push push push push push ​nothing falls ​quarter in ​roll ​clink ​push push push push push push 1 quarter falls! ​quarter in ​roll ​clink ​push push push push push push ​nothing falls ​quarter in ​roll ​clink ​push push push push push push 3 quarters fall! ​quarter in ​roll ​clink ​push push push push push push ​nothing falls ​quarter in ​roll ​clink ​push push push push push push 3 quarters fall! ​quarter in ​roll ​clink ​push push push push push push 2 quarters fall! ​quarter in ​roll ​clink ​push push push push push push ​nothing falls ​​quarter in ​​roll ​​clink ​​push push push push push push ​​nothing falls ​​quarter in ​​roll ​​clink ​​push push push push push push ​​push push SADIE ​until all 40 quarters ​were gone ​just…gone ​i held the empty orange wrapper in my hands ​torn in a spiral ​what happened? ​where did i go? ​i am 11 ​i walk home ​past the docks ​past the putt-putt course ​over the river ​and through the woods ​to the white gravel driveway ​of my grandparent's house (grandmother and grandfather appear, sorting coins and whittling.) ​where my grandma sits ​waiting for me at the dining room table ​while grandpa whittles in his perfect brown leather recliner ​please don't ask me about the carnival GRANDMOTHER ​sadie? ​honey? ​how was the carnival? SADIE ​please don't ask me what i did GRANDFATHER ​what did you do sadie? SADIE ​please don't ask me where my roll of quarters went GRANDMOTHER ​you didn't spend all your quarters did you? SADIE ​see there's this clicking in my head GRANDMOTHER ​sadie SADIE ​when certain things line up GRANDFATHER ​what's that grandma? ​did our little girl do something foolish? SADIE ​when like is put with like ​and there is order GRANDMOTHER ​oh sadie SADIE ​i couldn't stop! ​i couldn't help it! ​there is a me in charge of me sometimes that is not me! ​i always thought these clicks in my head were just a funny quirk ​but maybe ​maybe it's more serious than i thought 14 hours a day— ZIPPY ​aw sadie. you're always welcome in the village