Lyrks
Lyrks
Lyrks
Cover Art

I Could Not Tell Lyrics by Sharon Olds

0

I could not tell I had jumped off that bus,
that bus in motion, with my child in my arms,
because I did not know it. I believed my own story:
I had fallen, or the bus had started up
when I had one foot in the air.
I would not remember the tightening of my jaw,
the irk that I’d missed my stop, the step out
into the air, the clear child
gazing about her in the air as I plunged
to one knee on the street, scraped it, twisted it,
the bus skidding to a stop, the driver
jumping out, my daughter laughing
Do it again.
I have never done it
again, I have been very careful.
I have kept an eye on that nice young mother
who lightly leapt
off the moving vehicle
onto the stopped street, her life
in her hands, her life’s life in her hands.
Credits
Sharon Olds

Sharon Olds

About “I Could Not Tell” by Sharon Olds

Read the complete lyrics to "I Could Not Tell" by Sharon Olds. On Lyrks you can follow along with the full text, explore the artist's discography, and discover related songs. The track is often categorized under Non-Music, Literature.

"I Could Not Tell" is performed by Sharon Olds. This page provides the full lyric text for fans who want to sing along, study the songwriting, or compare versions across releases. Lyrks organizes lyrics by artist and song slug so you can bookmark and share a stable URL. Music lyrics help listeners connect with emotion, narrative, and rhythm in a track. Whether you are learning English, researching a favorite chorus, or preparing for karaoke, having accurate line breaks and section labels (verse, chorus, bridge) makes the experience easier. We link to the official artist profile on Lyrks where available, including biography snippets, top songs, and chart placements when we have that data. If you enjoy "I Could Not Tell", explore more songs by Sharon Olds using the links below. Chart and trending pages on Lyrks highlight what listeners are searching for this week. For copyright or correction requests, see our DMCA and contact pages.

View all songs and biography for Sharon Olds · Trending lyrics · Billboard Hot 100

Frequently asked questions

"I Could Not Tell" is credited to Sharon Olds. Songwriting credits may include additional writers listed on the release; check the credits section on this page for linked collaborators.

Album information for "I Could Not Tell" is not available in our database yet. You can still read the full lyrics on this page.

Visit the Sharon Olds artist page at /artist/sharon-olds for biography, popular tracks, and links to more lyric pages.