Are You Happy Now?

Richard Shindell, Are You Happy Now?, from Sparrow's Point (1992).

You took the toaster when you went
You never paid your half of the rent
You took the spices from the rack
But you don't have to put 'em back
'Cause in your haste on Halloween
You left your camera on the bed
Where we played roles in black and white
You left a roll of black and white
I set the timer, thought of you
Put the lens up to my head
I took a photograph for you
What comes out gray is really red

So are you happy now?
Are you happy now?
Are you happy now?

I smashed your pumpkin on the floor
The candle flickered at my feet
As goblins flew across the moon
The children peered into the room
A cowboy shivered on the porch
And Cinderella checked her watch
A hobo waited in the street
An angel whispered trick or treat
What was I supposed to do
But to sit there in the dark
I was amazed to think that you
Would take the candy with you too

CHORUS

I've sat all night, and now it's dawn
And I cannot believe my eyes
There's garbage strewn across the lawn
Where we once stared up at the sky
And streams of paper fill the tree
That hovered over you and me
And shaving cream covers the car
That we picked up in Baltimore
And though I know it's hard to tell
I hope that what's-his-name treats you well
I still maintain that he's a bum
But it's your life, hey, have some fun

CHORUS

You always asked why I had not
Written you a verse or two
Since that's the one thing I regret
I dedicate this one to you

So are you happy now?
Are you happy now?
Are you happy now?
Are you . . . ?

I have a hunch someone will enjoy that.

Comments

[j-a]

and hear i was thinking, "wow, TPB knows Michelle Branch!"

Grammy nominee for Best Female Vocalist ("Are You Happy Now")

[Dan]

Thanks! I've heard and liked that song a couple of times on the radio and always wondered who sang it.

[meizitang]

I can say, im enjoying my life to the fullest.