Get Big

They say she came out screaming, tiny fists all balled up tight
Her mother swore she'd not seen a child before so ready for a fight
But she was wan and she was sickly, sorry, blighted to behold
Refused the breast, cried 'til her chest ached
Simply could not be consoled

And when she wasn't busy crying, she would stare wide-eyed and mute
While her heart and mind grew bigger
Than her small frame could follow suit
Her dad got itchy feet
This kid was such a chore to grow
But before he hit the road
He looked at her and said, "Girl, before I go

Know you gotta get big (you gotta get big)
You gotta get so big
You've gotta get so big, so tall
'Cause if you take the time to get real big as you go through life
You won't be
Afraid of anything at all"

From poorly babe to homely child to sullen, stubborn lass
She grew up picking fights and telling lies as bold as brass
She was scrappy, she was mean
She took the boys all by surprise
'Cause you'd not say she was a looker 'til you looked deep in her eyes

Soon, her ragged mother died although she'd hemmed and hawed
Said, "I've reached the end of my road. Now go on and find your pa
I'm not sure where you'll find him
But my first guess would be a bar
And those spindly legs won't get you very far"

You're gonna have to get big (gonna have to get big)
Gotta get so big
Project yourself like shadows on the wall
And if you take the time and do the things that I describe
You won't be
Afraid of anything at all

She had some ground to cover and some tracks to make alone
And every place she showed his picture
They'd say, "You just missed him, child, he's gone"
By horse and rail she trailed him, bitterness fueling her stride
Anger making muscles pump even as rejection stung her pride

She swore he'd see the girl who'd worn a path through miles tread
And the shock would leave him speechless and slack-jawed
But the trail went cold in Abilene in a shadowed, stony place
"Sacred to the memory" carved on his marble face

And it was time to get big (ooh, time to get big)
Gotta get so big
Expand yourself like Rome before the fall
And if you take the time and do the things that I describe
You won't be afraid of anything at all
All

Well, she wasn't gonna quit now, but all she could think to do
Was sew a zeppelin out of tarps and hire herself a crew
A dozen mystics chanted over plutonium and tin
And they flew straight up to Heaven's gates
And hollered up "Hey, let us in!"

St. Peter sighed and rolled his eyes, glared at them one by one
"Can't let just anybody pass. This place would soon be overrun
And I wouldn't let you meatsacks in even if that weren't the case
Besides, your dad's not here. He's in the Other Place"

And it was time to get big (it was time to get big)
Gotta get so big
Move heaven and the earth with every footfall
'Cause if you take the time and do
The things that I describe, you won't be
Afraid of anything at all

Now cussing all the way, she dragged a boat up to the shore
Of the muddy river Styx, where she grew scared then mad once more
The gnarled ferry man croaked a protest from his cage
But he let her pass, 'cause he saw the gas that lit up all her rage
And on the other side, Cerberus tried to delay
But she kicked, and kicked
And kicked again, then continued on her way
And Satan loomed before her, straddling stones on mighty hocks
She just shrugged and walked beneath him
And then found the gates unlocked

It took a while to find her pa, though she asked for him by name
'Cause everyone was pushing boulders
And everyone kind of looked the same, but she
Finally locked eyes with the man whose eyes looked just like hers
Sprinted up, jabbed a finger at the poor, bedraggled cur
(Ooh)
She said, "Why'd you leave?
Why'd you go? Why'd you bail when things got tough?
I could have stopped you if I'd tried, but I just wasn't big enough"

His mouth twitched at the corner at the scowl that split up her face
He said, "The very fact you stand before me here
Makes you bigger than this place
And what is that if not big?" (you gotta get big)

And it was true; she was massive
Bigger than Hell's corridors and halls
'Cause if you focus right and keep
Your eyes fixed on the fight you won't be
Afraid of anything at all
Yes, if you've got a fire
You can walk blindly through the mire, you won't be
Afraid of anything at all
All