another hour’s matinee,
a dagger in the heart of day;
he needs to stay, he ought to stay —
she calls, he cannot keep away

he had a path, he had a plan
that stopped the second she began:
the curse, the fever of a man,
the fire and the frying pan

he’s known the ought, he knows the should,
and he would stop it if he could,
to save his life — his livelihood —
she calls, though, and he’s gone
for good