Maria in the morning Was a vision all in orange And all the nasty boys Would wipe their eyes with dirty minds. It'd been that way for years a monster in the mirror A beauty so composed the notes might cry She cried and cried, now all the dirt's revived So cry on the flowers when you cry Maria in the window, an outline and a symbol A pedestal so simple only dogs and children see But solitude can keep a perfect girl asleep Unattached and sadly gone to seed She cried and cried, now all the dirt's revived So cry on the flowers when you cry Maria on the doorsteps, the last of many first steps To face the open air again, to sigh upon the breeze When her eyes broke through the clouds, a flood of rain poured out A storm of bitter tears and sweet release She cried and cried, now all the dirt's revived So cry on the flowers when you cry Maria in the garden, the hangman and the pardon Forgiven and forgotten for a moment of a day Cause yesterday has served the time that it deserved While the rest of life just sighs and walks away She cried and cried, now all the dirt's revived So cry on the flowers when you cry She cried til her face was shiny, cried til her dress was clean She cried til the water rose above her knees She cried til the garden drank, and cried til the soil sang She cried until the flowers ate the weeds Maria on the altar, a gift for all who offer A penance and a pittance and a petal from their bed Roses round her hips, and honeysuckle lips And violets where the violence once was picked She cried and cried, now all the dirt's revived So cry on the flowers when you cry