MY PARENTS
MUST HAVE THOUGHT
THEY HAD A CRAZY KID
'CAUSE I WAS ONE OF THOSE KIDS
WHO ALWAYS KNEW
WHAT I WANTED
THEY TOOK ME
DOWN TO THE AIRPORT
TO SEE ALL
THE PLANES DEPARTIN'
WATCHIN' THEM FLY, SOMETHIN'
INSIDE OF ME WAS STARTIN'
I WAS EIGHT, WHEN I TOLD THEM
THAT I'D BE A PILOT
BUT I WAS TOO YOUNG
AND TOO SHORT
AND THERE WERE
NO FEMALE CAPTAINS
AND MY DAD SAID, BE PATIENT
HE SAID
JUST SEE WHAT HAPPENS
BUT I TOOK MY FIRST LESSON
CAME DOWN FROM THE SKY
AND TOLD MY FATHER
I'D FLY FOR THE REST OF MY LIFE
AND I GOT MY FIRST JOB
FLYIN' FOR A MORTICIAN
IN A TINY BONANZA
JUST A CORPSE AND ME
FIVE DOLLARS AN HOUR
FOR FLYIN' DEAD BODIES
I HAD TO CLIMB
OVER THEIR FACES
JUST TO GET TO MY SEAT
THEN SUDDENLY
THE WHEELS LIFT OFF
THE GROUND IS
FALLIN' BACKWARDS
I... AM SUDDENLY ALIVE
SUDDENLY I'M IN THE COCKPIT
SUDDENLY
EVERYTHING'S CHANGED
SUDDENLY I'M NOT
TOO YOUNG OR TOO SHORT
AND THE PASSENGERS
IN THE BACK DON'T COMPLAIN
SUDDENLY I'M FLYIN'
COMPANY CHARTERS
SUDDENLY EVERYTHING'S HIGH
SUDDENLY THERE'S NOTHIN'
INBETWEEN ME AND THE SKY
AMERICAN AIRLINES
HAD THE PRETTIEST PLANES
SO, I APPLIED
AS A FLIGHT ENGINEER
BUT THE WORLD WAR TWO PILOTS
THEY ALL COMPLAINED
THEY SAID, GIRLS
SHOULDN'T BE IN THE COCKPIT
HEY, LADY! HEY, BABY!
HEY! WHY DON'T YOU
GRAB US A DRINK
AND THE FLIGHT ATTENDANTS
WEREN'T MY FRIENDS BACK THEN
AND THEY SAID
ARE YOU BETTER THAN US
DO YOU THINK
BUT I KEPT GETTIN' HIRED
AND THE WORLD WAR TWO CREW
THEY RETIRED
AND THE GIRLS ALL THOUGHT
MUCH HIGHER OF ME
NINETEEN-EIGHTY-SIX
THE FIRST FEMALE AMERICAN
CAPTAIN IN HISTORY
SUDDENLY I'M IN THE COCKPIT
SUDDENLY I'VE GOT MY WINGS
SUDDENLY ALL OF THOSE
PILOTS PROTESTIN' ME
WELL, THEY CAN GET
THEIR OWN DRINKS, HA-HA!
SUDDENLY THERE'S NO ONE
SAYIN' STAY GROUNDED
LOOKIN' DOWN
PASSIN' THEM BY...
SUDDENLY THERE'S NOTHIN'
INBETWEEN ME AND THE SKY
SUDDENLY I'VE GOT
AN ALL-FEMALE CREW
THE NEWS TALKED
IT MADE HEADLINES
ACROSS THE WORLD
SUDDENLY IT STOPPED
NO ONE SAYIN', YOU CAN'T
OR YOU WON'T OR YOU KNOW
YOU'RE NOT ANYTHIN'
'CAUSE YOU'RE A GIRL
SUDDENLY I'M GETTIN' MARRIED
AND WE'RE PUTTIN'
PINS ON THE MAP
WHERE WE'VE FLOWN
SUDDENLY I AM A MOTHER
AND SUDDENLY SHOCKED
AT HOW MUCH THEY'VE GROWN
SUDDENLY I'M WONDERIN'
HOW MY PARENTS WOULD FEEL
SEEIN' ME
TEACHIN' MEN TO BE PILOTS
'CAUSE SUDDENLY
I AM A SENIOR INSTRUCTOR
AND SOMEHOW I'M FIFTY-ONE
SUDDENLY I'M FLYIN'
PARIS TO DALLAS
ACROSS THE ATLANTIC
AND FEELIN' CALM
WHEN SUDDENLY SOMEONE
ON AIR-TO-AIR TRAFFIC
SAYS, AT EIGHT-FORTY-SIX
THERE'S BEEN
A TERRORIST ACTION
AND THE ONE THING
I LOVED MORE THAN ANYTHIN'
WAS USED AS THE BOMB
SUDDENLY I'M IN A HOTEL
SUDDENLY SOMETHIN' HAS DIED
SUDDENLY THERE'S SOMETHIN'
INBETWEEN ME AND THE SKY