Who Saw Her Skirt Through the Fog

Who saw her skirt cut through the fog
Knows what the backstreets never tell
Down the alley where luck surrenders
Maria Navalha held her ground

She never named a date or hour
Never spoke of where she'd been
When crooked hands reached out for power
She set the balance right again

I saw her hat drift down the avenue
I watched old workings lose their sting
Who walks beneath her steady favor
Meets the storm and holds the line
Her steel flashed bright when danger gathered
Guarding every step I made
What was hidden behind fine manners
Lay uncovered by her blade

I searched for her through Lapa's twilight
By the harbor after dark
Under rows of weary streetlamps
Her name traveled lamp to lamp

Respect lived deep inside the faces
Of those who knew her way of law
No one laughed when she was mentioned
No one doubted what they saw

A woman known from fair to station
Market stalls and crowded lanes
Where her shadow crossed a roadway
Boasting men withdrew their claims

A hard wind spun around the corner
Driving dry leaves through the street
Maria Navalha never falters
Before a coward or a cheat

I saw her hat drift down the avenue
I watched old workings lose their sting
Who walks beneath her steady favor
Meets the storm and holds the line
Her steel flashed bright when danger gathered
Guarding every step I made
What was hidden behind fine manners
Lay uncovered by her blade

Rare elegance in troubled seasons
A grace no wealth could ever buy
When poisoned rumors filled the airwaves
Her steel laid every falsehood bare

If bitter tongues prepare an ambush
If envy stalks the edge of town
Maria Navalha keeps her watchfire
And never let's her people drown

I saw her hat drift down the avenue
I watched old workings lose their sting
Who walks beneath her steady favor
Meets the storm and holds the line
Her steel flashed bright when danger gathered
Guarding every step I made
What was hidden behind fine manners
Lay uncovered by her blade

Maria Navalha
Maria Navalha
Maria Navalha

Who saw her skirt cut through the fog
Knows what the backstreets never tell
Some names fade to dust and memory
Maria Navalha wears time well