A single white carnation Sailed through the air hit the ground Behind it was laughter And envy and joy in the sound Of passion and power For the star of the hour Least noble of flowers Lays at her feet like a clown Just a step up from a weed So common so hardy A stranger to the fame And other ridiculous things A practical type Like the fella that threw you Who shuffles away And exits the theatre alone A single teardrop Softens the crease on his face One of many hard living has shaped "Oh baby" he cried "why couldn't i?" "Oh baby" he cried "why?" "But look at you now, i guess i've done right" So the carnation man picked up his bottle And melted back into the night She was succesful The newspapers claimed A pheonix from ashes But what they never said was She longed for a call From a man she hardly knew at all She folded her kerchif And answered the dressing room door To flashes of light and armfuls of flowers "Just put them over there" she said "With all of the others" But a ghost caught her eye As the usher walked by A crumpled carnation Fell through the air hit the ground