Belle of the Blues Janis Ian

[Verse 1]
I'm the belle of the blues, and it's easy to see
If I win or I lose, it's all one to me
I was born on a shelf in the rare books library
I reside by myself with my books and my TV

[Verse 2]
I'm an old age pension for the fossilized routine
Anybody for nostalgia, put a record on and see
Here's a memory of olden days and a heartbreak grown cold
All that glitters isn't gold, you get no love for free

[Chorus]
You live and you die
And I'll probably throw it away
But in the end it's mine
And nobody has a right to say
"Go down lightly—go down silently"
I'll go down screaming
"Give it back—it belongs to me"

[Verse 3]
I'm the belle of the blues—I'm used to mingling
With the crème de la crème of higher society
I promise them roses, and an eight-by-ten of me
But when the party's over they're all too glad to leave