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The waitress took a bar rag, and she wiped it across her eyes. And as she spoke her voice came out as something like a sigh. She said 'I wish that I was beautiful, or that you were halfway blind. And I wish I weren't so dog-gone fat, I wish that you were mine. And I wish that you'd come with me, when I leave for home. For we both know all about loneliness, and livin' all alone.'

Harry Chapin#21

HopeWorkLonelinessBeauty

About this quote

What does it mean?
A lonely waitress wishes for beauty, escape, and connection with a customer.
In plain terms
A tired worker dreams of being noticed and leaving her lonely life.
What can you take from it?
Loneliness drives people to imagine escape.

Where it applies

  • service work
  • late night shifts
  • unrequited love

Putting it to work

  • acknowledge hidden pain
  • offer kindness

Questions to consider

  • Who is lonely near you?
  • How do you cope with isolation?

Another view

It relies on stereotypes about female insecurity.

More from Harry Chapin

  1. 'I did not want to share her with the world or break the mood, So before she woke I went out and brought us both some food. I came back with my paper bag, to f…

    Permalink to quote #20
  2. My child arrived just the other day, He came to the world in the usual way. But there were planes to catch, and bills to pay. He learned to walk while I was aw…

    Permalink to quote #22
  3. 'The moonlight shown upon her as she lay back in my bed. It was the kind of scene I only had imagined in my head. I just could not believe it, to think that sh…

    Permalink to quote #19

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