I gave up my swing
To mean Mary Jean
Back in my Grammar School years.
They double dog dared me
But she kinda scared me
And won on account of my fears.
Mary Jean Jackson
Lived over on Thackston
In a house full of sad eyes and frowns.
I was told early on
That I was never to roam
Near that place after sundown.
The years they go by
And the innocence dies
But the curious mind lingers on.
As I grew older
I watched her grow colder
And wondered bout her life at home.
One late summer evening
I had trouble sleeping
Mary Jean prayed on my mind.
So I slipped out my back door
Up on to her porch
And found a little crack in the blinds.
Mary was done up
In lipstick and makeup
Mingled with terror and tears.
When her Daddy came swagger'n
Half necked and stagger'n
His intention was perfectly clear.
It seemed like forever
I thought he would never
Fall when that pistol rang out.
So she fired two and three
Looked right at me
Then stuck that gun in her mouth.
Sweet Mary Jean
Lived and died caught between
Wrong and so far from right.
I'm just glad to say
On the playground that day
I didn't force Mary to fight.
Gerry Gilman
http://www.poemhunter.com/poem/the-ballad-of-mary-jean-adult-content/
