Ruthy was born in New York City,
Sometime in the late nineteen-twenties
As a girl she was shy and pretty,
Now she's elderly and lives in New Jersey

It was in her early twenties,
When she first was married
Divorce wasn't on the table
So she put up with him, oh she put up with him

Until he drank himself to death,
In front of their two kids
In the hospital,
She promised them this wouldn't happen again

Ruthy, forget your pain

Some years later she was remarried,
Got carried away and had a couple babies
Half siblings brought on full resentment,
Of all these things they'd never understand

Like how to be a decent man,
How to be a sensitive person
When to listen, when to take a stand,
Oh, they'll never understand

Ruthy, forget your pain

Now it's a lifetime later,
Things are never getting better
You've been wasting away for years,
And it's time to pack it in

You lost your identity,
At the turn of the century
When you lost your independence,
You lost your will to live

Assisted living turns into hospice care,
Out of your head falls your teeth and your hair
Losing all of your weight, you're just skin and bones,
Waiting for a grave to call home
Antidepressants distract you from your pain,
Dementia has you forgetting names
If you have to forget everyone that you love,
Oh, I hope you forget your pain
Oh, I hope you forget your pain