Momma’s little baby has only one tooth Daddy’s little girl pretends to fall He picks her up when she cries Mommas little angel has a new pair of shoes She likes to use to chase the boys Daddy breathes an irrepressible sigh Face first on her pillow she weeps a sea For a fractured heart Daddy wipes the hair from her cheek She’ll hold his hand when he dies And momma says it’s not fair, but it’s true In the middle it's black and blue Decided that day Live straight as an arrow Miss play-it-safe Known as the house sparrow Ear to the wall, her skin would Crawl if she ever heard laughter Last kiss, clock ticks Now ten years after Stares out the window and wants to go But nobody can make her Darlin, I swear time Will be your savior But the middle is black and blue In the middle we’re black and blue Baby steps and then your outside And ain’t the air fine At the end of the day in July Cumulonimbi pepper the sky And no more complaining that her days are dry Smiles but feels a touch of regret For waiting so long As poor July fades to ghosts on the lawn She sings one last song, a lullaby For the baby that don’t have a clue That the middle’s always black and blue In the middle it’s black and blue In the middle it's black and blue In the middle it’s black and blue Mommas little angel’s down to only one tooth Daddy’s little girl was never alone He picks her up when she dies