Fourteenth street and the garbage swirls like a cyclone
Three-o-clock in the afternoon
And I am going home
F-train is full of high school students
So much shouting, so much laughter
Last night's underwear
In my back pocket
Sure sign of the morning after

[Chorus:]
Take me home
Take me home and leave me there
Think I'm going to cry, don't know why
Think I'm going to sing myself a lullaby
Feel free to listen
Feel free to stare

I live in New York, New York
City that never shuts up
In the daylight everything is so gory
You can hear snatches of stranger's sorry stories
And I moved there from buffalo
But that's nothing
The trico plant moved to Mexico
Left my uncle standing out in the cold
Said there's your last paycheck
Have fun growing old

[Chorus]

Rockabye baby
In the treetop
When the wind blows
The cradle will rock
When the bough breaks
The cradle will fall
Down will come baby
Cradle and all

Youth is beauty
Money is beauty
Hell, beauty is beauty sometimes
It's the luck of the draw
It's the natural law
It's a joke, it's a crime
I was bored
You were bored
It was a meeting of the minds
Now it's three in the afternoon
And I can't leave too soon
Saying, thank you I had a nice time

[Chorus]

Rockabye baby
In the treetop
When the wind blows
The cradle will rock
When the bough breaks
The cradle will fall
Down will come baby
Cradle and all

Maybe I'll live my whole life
Just getting by
Maybe I'll be discovered
Maybe I'll be colonized
You can try to train me like a pet
You can try to teach me to behave
But I'll tell you, if I haven't learned it yet
You know,
I ain't gonna sit
I ain't gonna stay

[Chorus]


Lyrics submitted by aur0ra, edited by goodnews

Cradle & All Lyrics as written by Ani Difranco

Lyrics © BMG RIGHTS MANAGEMENT US, LLC

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Cradle and All song meanings
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8 Comments

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  • 0
    General Comment

    "think i'm going to sing myself a lullaby feel free to listen feel free to stare" when the world does not matter only the emotions that boil inside of you, and its enough of a task to get by

    regardemylasheskgmon May 27, 2004   Link
  • 0
    General Comment

    last night's underwear in my back pocket sure sign of the morning after

    I fucking love her.

    KAS2398on June 06, 2005   Link
  • 0
    General Comment

    last night's underwear in my back pocket sure sign of the morning after

    I fucking love her.

    KAS2398on June 06, 2005   Link
  • 0
    General Comment

    the morning after the night before. 'thank you i ahd a nice time' nothing more to say.

    i am in love with this song, and this woman.

    xjenixon June 24, 2006   Link
  • 0
    General Comment

    Have you ever had the feeling where you feel like you're going to cry, and you don't even care at that point whos looking?, she seems like in this song that shes at the point of mental combustion, and just needs to let it all out. She talks about her past, and where she moved and where shes from, she has such a rich history behind her, and has been so many places. At the point in the song "Feel free to listen, feel free to stare", she is at the point where she doesn't care what anyone thinks anymore, and after talks about beauty, and how beauty is just a definition. Ani DiFranco is fucking amazing.

    notaprettygirlRBRon December 07, 2006   Link
  • 0
    General Comment

    youth is beauty money is beauty hell, beauty is beauty sometimes it's the luck of the draw it's the natural law it's a joke it's a crime

    hell yes, love these words, love this song, love ani.

    Jenilauraon March 29, 2007   Link
  • 0
    General Comment

    i was bored you were bored it was a meeting of the minds now it's three in the afternoon and i can't leave too soon saying thank you, i had a nice time

    I fuckin love this song and her!!

    RedLetterYearon November 16, 2008   Link
  • 0
    General Comment

    i want to say it too now!!

    I fucking love ani difranco

    woo that feels good!

    treekneeon December 29, 2008   Link

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