Little Miss Backhanded-Compliment

Lyrics

[Intro]
She hands you a little gift.
Doesn't use her hands.
It comes on the air between you.
Just after the dessert course.

[Verse 1]
The chandelier is kind tonight.
Her smile is also kind.
She leans across the white tablecloth, her floral perfume arrives first.
She says, "That haircut is so bold."
A little pause.
"I wish I had the confidence to pull something like that off."
Someone asks for the wine.
The moment passes.
But the gift is on the table now.

[Chorus]
It's praise with a dagger sewn in the lining.
A little compliment with a blade inside.
You say thank you, because you have to.
You don't even know you're bleeding yet.
It just feels... warm.

[Verse 2]
She did that little head tilt.
Practiced in a mirror, sometime in 2007.
The way her eyes crinkle with sincerity.
She offers you a mint from a small silver tin.
A gesture of goodwill.
She's already talking to David about his trip to Milan.
And you're left holding it.
This sharp, invisible thing.

[Chorus]
It's praise with a dagger sewn in the lining.
A little compliment with a blade inside.
You say thank you, because you have to.
You don't even know you're bleeding yet.
It just feels warm.

[Bridge]
Later, at home.
It's two in the morning.
You're standing in front of the full-length mirror.
Turning your head.
Trying to see what she saw.
The flaw she wrapped in kindness.
Her voice is in the room now.
"So bold."
"So brave."
"For your age."

[Outro]
The dagger is in your hand now.
It was in your pocket all along.
You look so good.
For your age.