Mary Gauthier (born in Baton Rouge, Louisiana) is an American folk singer/songwriter. At age 15, she ran away from home and stole her parents' car, and spent the next several years in detox, halfway houses, and living with friends; she spent her 18th birthday in jail. These experiences provided fodder for her songwriting later on (particularly her song "Drag Queens in Limousines"). Later on, she enrolled at Louisiana State University as a philosophy major, but after five years there, dropped out due to drug problems and moved to Boston. After working waitress jobs and eventually being promoted to manager of the restaurant where she worked, financial backers paid her way to attend the Cambridge School of Culinary Arts and she opened a Cajun restaurant in Boston's Back Bay neighborhood, "Dixie Kitchen" (also the title of her first album).
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The Ledge Lyrics

Mary Gauthier

(Mary Gauthier)

Under water, under the well
Under glass, under a ground swell
Chasing bliss, chasing my tail
Chasing desire, straight down to hell
I couldn't love, could not forgive
Didn't know how to live and let live
My choices were few
On the ledge, looking up at you

Over drawn, over fed,
Over run, over my head
I held a grudge, I held a gun,
Held contempt for everyone
I couldn't cry, I couldn't learn
I didn't flinch when bridges burned
I was tost, through and through
On the ledge, looking up at you.

I lived alone, I lived In rage
I lived in darkness inside a cage
On the fringe, a refugee
I couldn't trace it back to me
I grew mean, I grew small
I grew tired of it all
I couldn't tell false from true
On the ledge, looking up at you.

Out of luck, out of time
Out of control, out of my mind
Running scared, running down
Running low to the ground
The blows were hard, the blows were mean
The blows were low, the hits were clean
I was left black and blue