Name: Nancy by Gaslight
Duration: P00H04M06S
Description: Nancy, the maid in the 1944 movie “Gaslight” is the POV character in our song. In the movie, Nancy welcomes and strongly encourages Gregory Anton’s attention and seems not to mind or notice his using her as part of a scheme against his wife, Paula. Our song gives Nancy a little back story, and tries to see how the events of the story might have looked to her.

Night Sky - Nancy by Gaslight

from SpinTunes 17 Round 2 by Spintunes

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about

Nancy, the maid in the 1944 movie “Gaslight” is the POV character in our song. In the movie, Nancy welcomes and strongly encourages Gregory Anton’s attention and seems not to mind or notice his using her as part of a scheme against his wife, Paula. Our song gives Nancy a little back story, and tries to see how the events of the story might have looked to her.

lyrics

Nancy is old and gray with a sly wrinkled smile
I sit beside her - a doting grandchild
And she said:

It was me, my sisters and younger brothers
Alone after the cops took our mother
In a damp shack that gave us scant cover
From rain and hunger and wandering men

Not much surprised me at the Antons
I knew men were men in shacks or mansions
Gregory smooth with mean eyes and flirtations
Just a man seeking a man’s satisfactions

And Paula was pretty Paula was fine
Paula had everything except her own mind

A high pile of pretty silk handkerchiefs
A soft bed enveloped in cool coverlets
A silver tray carrying hot tea and biscuits
There lay lovely Paula bawling again

Paula was weakened by her life of ease
Plain to see she was no match for Gregory
To tame the man of the house was down to me
Paula surrendered - she had that luxury

Oh Paula was pretty Paula was fine
Paula had everything except her own mind

Scrubbing and serving and thinking to curtsy
Left little time to watch out for Gregory
As his temper grew ever more threatening
I feared the failure of my slow brewing scheme

On the day they put handcuffs on Gregory
Paula stood up shining in victory
From that day I stood by the lady
Who in the end had a surprise up her sleeve

Oh Paula was pretty Paula was fine
Paula had everything in her own time

credits

from SpinTunes 17 Round 2, released March 29, 2021

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