Brazzaville — Lena

Lena

Lena’s a beauty queen
From far away in Moldova
She reads fashion magazines
Of movie stars in Europa
The men are so handsome
With smiles sweet as tangerines

She answered a wanted ad
For waitresses maids and au pairs
She felt just a little sad
When it came time to leave her village
But she packed up her suitcase
And hugged her family at the door
Oh Oh Oh Oh Oh

Oh those summer days
Those bicycle trips in the rain
The local boys
The cheap champagne
To be back there again
She’d give just about anything
And she’d never leave her town again

Now she works 13 hours a day
In a room with a dirty mattress
She’d take all the pain away
But she can’t seem to find the courage
And the mornings are the hardest
The sunlight on the concrete floor
Oh Oh Oh Oh Oh