Carmen Isn't Coming In Today

If he burns the bed again
Let him just apologize
By now he knows just how to say he's sorry
And by now he knows he shouldn't worry
She'll forgive him in the morning
Late for work while he's still sleeping
Put a twenty on the counter
With a note there right beside it
That says, "Have a decent day"

She met him in the bar light
At a time she felt untethered
And he told her half the story
The other half's uncertain
It's rude to ask some questions
She could tell that he'd been broken
But she thought that she could help him
'Cause they seemed like simple problems
Been a while since he's been working
And she never wanted children
'Til it seemed like it's too late

She pulls onto the shoulder
Pulls herself together
When she gets back on the highway
There's the urge to keep on going
Drive straight to South Dakota
Or somewhere else wide open
She could call up to the office
Tell the people at reception
To pass along the message
Carmen isn't coming in today

And the day is finally over
The traffic takes forever
But work was mostly painless
Sit and click on her computer
Savings and the checking
Morning into evening
Came home and found him sleeping
In the same place that she'd left him
But it smelled like something's burning
And his cigarette had fallen
A black hole in the bedding
It wasn't so surprising
It's just hard to keep from crying
When there's nothing more to say