Goodbye Norma Jean,
Though I never knew you at all
You had the grace to hold yourself,
While those around you crawled.
The crawled out of the woodwork,
And they whispered into your brain,
They set you on the treadmill
And they made you change your name
And it seems to me you lived your life
Like a candle in the wind,
Never knowing who to cling to
when the rain set it.
And I would have liked to have known you
But I was just a kid,
Your candle burned out long before
Your legend ever did.
Loneliness was tough,
The toughest role you ever played,
Hollywood created a superstar
And pain was the price you paid
Even when you died,
The press still hounded you –
All the papers had to say
Was that Marilyn was found in the nude
Goodbye Norma Jean,
Though I never knew you at all
You had the grace to hold yourself,
While those around you crawled.
Goodbye Norma Jean,
From the young man in the 22nd row
Who sees you as something more than sexual,
More than just our Marilyn Monroe.
