Weld

People forget you were a child
The first time they ever saw you smile
At the wrong man
The windswept blonde, the stubborn brow
Grown men bragging around town
About the plans they had for your career

The mentorships, the coast is clear
Ask a clerk for room 1340
And he'll give you the second key
But you were too young to want the ragers
The neon-colored thrill crusaders
And the execs who swear, "She beckoned me"

Working illegal twelve hour days
No time for friends, no summer breaks
But you're on fire
It isn't enough to be a daughter
Breadwinning doesn't hold water
You are a pretty face that Troy inspires

A writer's muse, no skill required
So why do you wake up so tired?
You weld together graceful facial expressions for the camera
And how many people does it take
To make a silver screen mistake?
And still, the microphones will yell at you and all your glamour

But you're on fire

Oh, you're just a child
Oh, you're just a child
They love the fact that you're a child
'Cause everybody loves potential
But poor Lolita
No one in the world believed her
'Cause just like you, her man was nicely dressed
Controlled her image, got obsessed
Through it all, she did her best
Continued tennis, making friends
And then she left
And made a new life anyway
I hope the days wash over you
Like a chaise in a sunroom

And it's hell
Being Helen, being weld together
Just to survive
But I hope you love this life
I hope you love this life