And Anna was a beauty in her youth
She had long black hair and looked a lot more like you
Than you think you do
I knew her mother well
Her lead light eyes were lovely coal smoke blue as well
But I knew her father too
And I viewed life like a bedroom
Through a keyhole on a door
While he saw it like a pantry through a window on a wall
We never got on well, were never friends at all
And I was just the barnacle that clung on through it all
He was a small time politician
Or a tele-prompter's charge trying to
Bury a misdeed from way back when
And so he lined all of the
Hacks up on the grass
Called them gentlemen and friends
Gave his dog whistle a blast
And every face there was a mask
What is anybody doing who ain't pretending?
What is anybody doing
Why would he frighten off his friends
With something useless as the truth?
Anna was a beauty in her youth

Did she scare all your friends away?
Did she frighten all your friends away?
Did she scare all of your friends away?

And Anna was a beauty in her youth
She had some fine boys on her trail, like the tailor's son
Who scaled the ranks of
Suits and all he touched turned into loot
I knew his kind very well
And when the doric columns cracked
It tore the shirt right off his back
So they sold him down the river before pocketing the cash
He weren't so lucky then
But it didn't bother Anna
She had boys on tap
And Jack was a probono defence lawyer
At a firm called Young and Black
He'd been made a junior partner
And shown how to work a rort
Making charitable donations to
Salvation Army Corps and Veterans Without Wheelchairs
And the Widows Of The Wars
He was a Liberating Angel with a
Clothes peg on his nose
But he swooped a little low one time
And crashed into some locals who
Beat seven shades of shame through him
Then levied heavy taxes of their own
And said necessity is nine tenths of the surgery
He owed his face's health
And to watch them very carefully
'Cause this is where the equal
Distribution of his wealth is going to
Anna was a beauty in her youth
Did she scare all your friends away?
Did she frighten all your friends away?
Did she scare all of your friends away?

And Anna was a beauty in her youth
It was at the garden party
Where we first were introduced
By her father who'd retired
Into a well of sweet vermouth
But I knew what was coming next
While he'd been winning plaudits for his ornithology
I'd been selling Winnebagos to less heeled retirees
It had not been going well
I moved RV's on hire-purchase
When I knew I should have leased
And my investors all went bankrupt
So I couldn't resupply
And I could not meet repayments
Even if demand increased
I wished they'd pay me what they owed me
Then all fuck off like good pensioners
And die and have a holiday at least
Then he said "money won't bring happiness"
And I very nearly cried
But he didn't venture further, no one saying that ever tries
I took a hard slug on my drink
And Anna watched me while I melted
Like an ice cube in the desert of her shade
And if she smiled at you there'd be nothing you
Wouldn't do cause women made like Anna
Are born coasting on
The admiration, which Anna made the most of
She turned one against the other, all friends
At one time or other yet they
Set upon themselves
And cleared the way from me to her
You and I were happy then
And happy's no defence
But if it's any consolation
I expected someone else
That would be her masterstroke
And I am standing here today as proof
Anna was a beauty in her youth
Did she scare all your friends away?
Did she frighten all your friends away?
Did she scare all of your friends away?