Melissa Etheridge

  The rope that's wrapped around me
Is cutting through my skin
And the doubts that have surrounded me
Are finding their way in
I keep it close to me
Like a holy man prays
In my desperate hour
It's better that way

 So.....I'll come by and see you again
I'll be such a very good friend
Have mercy on my soul
I will never let you know
Where my mind has been

Angels never came down
There's no one here they want to hang around
But if they knew
If they knew you at all
Then one by one the angels
Angels would fall

I've crept into your temple
I have slept upon your pew
I've dreamed of the divinity
Inside and out of you
I want it more than truth
I can taste it on my breath
I would give my life just for a little ,little death

So...I'll come by and see you again
I'll be just a very good friend
I will not look upon your face
I will not touch upon your grace
Your ecclesiastic skin

It's 17 songs in 17 years, a journey from 1988's "Similar Features" - the song that introduced her gritty vocals, aching emotions and magic touch as a rock songwriter to the general public - through newly recorded versions of Tom Petty's "Refugee" and the Janis Joplin-associated "Piece of My Heart" and the brand-new "I Run For Life," a song reaching out from her recent experiences as an inspiration for others whose lives have been touched by breast cancer.

First appeared on Breakdown (1999)
Written by Melissa Etheridge and John Shanks

• The first single from Melissa's double platinum sixth album hit #51 on Billboard 's Hot 100, #9 on Adult Top 40 radio and #32 at Mainstream Top 40 radio. Melissa directed the video for "Angels Would Fall," a first for her.

"This song was one of my first collaborations with John Shanks. He brought me a piece of music and I wrote the melody and lyrics over it. We've done that a few times now, but 'Angels Would Fall' was the first. It's a great melody, a chord progression that I hardly ever use, so it's nice to break out of my routine."