It was just after dark when the fleet disembarked
To pillage the town and burn bridges
Setting sail, waving bye to the few left behind
Who didn't feel quite so ambitious
So we sat on your roof trading sips, 80 proof
The night gave way to reminiscing
Of a time before everything went awry
When we joined hands and offered our songs to the sky
When we burned
And knew that we were consecrated
In light of all that we'd created
But still the fire slowly faded
Over time
So we struggled in vain to explain what had changed
To ascertain what was broken
We could tell it was near but we couldn't quite steer
From the precipice we were approaching
And yeah I knew you were bruised, but my tongue gets confused
I never know quite how to broach it
It feels like something has stolen my speech
And the words are dangling just out of reach
So I turned
To leave you hanging there suspended
Cause I was frightened of offending
I closed the door and kept pretending
You were fine
There's a slump in your gait and a shake in your breath
As you make your way home and up the front steps
The screen door squeaks, the kitchen's a mess
Cardboard boxes and stale cigarettes
The clock says it's late and you hope he's asleep
You know just where to step so the floor doesn't creak
Just don't make a sound, you won't have a repeat
Of what's come back around for the last several weeks
The ghost of it hangs like a shadow
Heavy and thick
It takes a lot more than you've got right now
You'd better run quick
Cause you stay up all night and scroll through your texts
For a phrase or exchange that could break through the hex
You drive yourself mad as you look for the clues
To get back what you had, it'd be worth every bruise
But this chaos is home, there's no turning back now
You've learned to go limp when the rug gets pulled out
Just close your eyes and float for awhile
And you won't even flinch when your head hits the tile
Be still as you can, count backwards from ten
Don't open you mouth or it happens again
Pick yourself off the floor when he storms up the stairs
Wash a few dishes and say a few prayers
Cause all that we gave you were empty refrains
That float with the suds as they circle the drain
So with our hands on our ears and our eyes covered tight
All you could hear was our poisonous advice:
"Give it time, it'll get better it'll get better now go
You'll be fine, it'll get better it'll get better now go"