Lana Del Rey — ​patent leather do-over

Sylvia - I knew what you meant when you talked about swimming in the ocean and leaving your patent leather black shoes pointing towards it, while you swam It tickled you to leave them there It was the thought of a young child or of a lost fairy That reminded me of who I am That's why I am now at this facility by the ocean And why I go barefoot and why I go calmly Why I leave my shoes up by the stairway I do it for you and I do it for me Because having learned from others and from you I learned there was a missing piece to finding existential calmness And domestic bliss to lead to peace You see, you can't fall in love with a man like Ted - Or a musician who sings about being free A woodworker doesn't a good man make, if he wants his work to be on TV You have to separate the wheat from the chaff You have to be discerning It takes diligence, consequence and other things To keep that sea from churning And to keep yourself from longing to let those painted waves take you under It isn't just the water black that makes the body plunder from high sea cliffs I know my dear, I wish that I had been here or there I wish that you were here now, if you're not now - Because who knows how these things work? Sylvia, Marilyn, Violet, Diana All of my kind women who came before me, blonde I dyed my hair black for you I turned my back on that black pond I swear I won't stop 'til I'm dead And here I am at 34 - And what for? To bring my pair of baby patent leather shoes to turn them the other way - towards the sea cliffs stairs not at the ocean To bring them back up safe to the facility instead And I think of you as I walk the 280 wooden steps - Dynamited into the cliffs a hundred years before I let myself into room 2 and got undressed I was sunburnt, contemplative and sore And as I fell asleep by Gabapentin I lay my head on the pillow and streched my hand out on the cool white linen - and sing you lemon melody I kept the shoes on the sill by the window seat - In case you got restless and wanted to leave And I hugged you with my baby's breath And sang your spirit to bed The way I would have if you were my child or if I had children My Queen Anne's lace heart weightless on your little head