Who thanked the Lord for the clothes   that she wore and mended,   Nellie with the big old fashioned eyes   Who won the heart of a crowd   tore apart, took a bow,   Nellie there's a different world backstage      (Chorus:)   I see the flood lights burning   I hear the band play on   Now Nellie takes her bow      She said she really could not stay   She had a brand new play to play   And so she paints her face and smiles   And she'll be someone else in a while      (Chorus)      Just a lonely girl who could not face a broken world,   And so she acts out all her dreams and wishes that's how it had been   But when the audience is near, it seems as though she doesn't even care.      (Chorus)      Nellie just sent me a line to tell me she was doing fine   She got the lead and on Broadway, and now they're digging her today   And as she turns the final page, living   someone's life upon the stage      (Chorus)