Flamenco Heartbeat

Flamenco heartbeat
Twelve beats and one scar

Six months since the hospital bed
The monitor kept its own compás
You tapped your finger on the rail
Counting twelve against the glass
The doctor said, "Slowly, señora"
You smiled, you didn't answer him
Now the tablao lights are warming
And your shoes are by the stage again

I tune the guitar down a step
In case your breath comes short tonight

Flamenco heartbeat (one, two, three)
Twelve beats and one scar
Every stamp you give the floor
Tells the fear exactly where you are

Flamenco heartbeat
Still you dance, still you are
Olé! (twelve beats)
Olé! (one scar)

First steps soft, the room goes quiet
Your hand is pressed against your chest
Then the singer throws his cry out
And your heels answer all the rest
Your sister's crying in the front row
Your mother's praying at the wall
The line of that scar is showing
And you don't hide it, not at all

Flamenco heartbeat (one, two, three)
Twelve beats and one scar
Every stamp you give the floor
Tells the fear exactly where you are

Flamenco heartbeat
Still you dance, still you are

I played at your bedside every night
Soft enough to keep the nurses kind
You said, "When I dance again
Don't play it careful, play it wild"

Flamenco heartbeat (one, two, three)
Twelve beats and one scar
Every stamp you give the floor
Tells the fear to find another heart

Flamenco heartbeat
Still you dance, still you are

Twelve beats
One scar