By: Jimmy Buffett
1971
In the shelter
In the mornin' as the sun was brightly gleaming
I heard her crying out, "What is it all about?
I just don't know, but I can't go back home."

Lonely princess
All the days out on your own are growing empty
Nothing is going well
If you could only tell them how you feel
They're too real to understand

Chorus:
Too many trite expressions
Ending in forced rejections long ago
Too many innocent faces
Too many far out places something's wrong
Let me tell you that something's wrong
It's been that way so long, and it's a shame

On the street car
To the city where she knows that she might lose it all
Riding for just a dime, takin' her own sweet time
And knowing well this could be her final fall

Past the boutique
Down the alley to the river, people pass her by
Sits on the big gray rocks, takes off her boots and socks
And knowing what she will do next just starts to cry

Chorus:
Too many small suggestions
Endin' in angry questions from her dad
Too many T.V. dinners
And everyone loves a winner, but she was lost
No one knows the trials she had

In the shelter
In the mornin' as the sun was brightly gleaming
I heard her crying out, "What is it all about?
I just don't know, but I can't go back home."

Lord, I just don't know, but I can't go back home.