Fluorescent Halo

The coffee's burnt, the floor is sticky, clock is movin' slow

Another double shift to make the money grow

Just enough to make the rent and keep the lights on low

Watchin' headlights cut across the gas station glow

Sixteen and on my own, no safety net to fall

Just the buzzin' of the cooler and a ghost behind the wall

Learnin' street smarts the hard way, standin' five feet tall

Countin' out the register and givin' it my all.

I ain't prayin' for a miracle, I'm workin' for the wage

Turnin' my own anger to a brand new, empty page

This ain't no Cinderella story, I ain't on no stage

Just survivin' in a real world, rattling my cage

They can see the tired in my eyes, the grime under my nails

But they never see the fire that behind my silence wails

This ain't heaven, that's for certain, but if all else fails

My crown is my endurance and my throne's these bargain sales.

The college kids come in at 2 a.m. laughin' and so loud

Livin' in a different world, part of a different crowd

I just smile and take their money, head is anything but bowed

Wrapped up in my own thoughts, alone inside a cloud

They don't know the math I'm doin', food or gas or meds

The million tiny battles happenin' inside my head

Just another face behind the counter, fillin' them with dread

That they might ever end up here, livin' on a thread.

I ain't prayin' for a miracle, I'm workin' for the wage

Turnin' my own anger to a brand new, empty page

This ain't no Cinderella story, I ain't on no stage

Just survivin' in a real world, rattling my cage

They can see the tired in my eyes, the grime under my nails

But they never see the fire that behind my silence wails

This ain't heaven, that's for certain, but if all else fails

My crown is my endurance and my throne's these bargain sales.

They want a sob story, somethin' they can pity and embrace

But I ain't got the time for tears, gotta keep up with the pace

Every dollar that I earn is a step out of this place

Wipin' down the countertops and findin' my own grace

Underneath this buzzin' light, I am my own damn saint

Forgin' my own armor with a coat of cheap lead paint

And this fluorescent halo is the only proof I ain't

The broken little girl they think I am, 'cause baby, I ain't.