Lyrics

The Sound Of Human Lives

Death By Fire

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Wake Up
Wake Up
Wake Up

Your Life Has Stalled Somewhere
And You Just Sit And Stare
And As Each Day Runs Away
Children Scream While You Lay Waiting
They Must Think
“what Is Worse Not Being Loved
Or Not Loving Anything At All?”

Wake Up
Wake Up

I Hope You Ignite What Thrives Inside
Break Through
You’ve Got To Find A Way To Feel Alive Again

Or Would You Rather Watch The World
From Your Window Sill
Like The Animal You Became?
Or Maybe Tear Your Nails From Your Cuticles
As The Devil Praises Your Name?

Remember No One Ever Asks How Young You Are

So Please
Wake Up And Find Some Way To Find Yourself

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Eleven, Seventeen

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Soon I Will Wake To Cavalcades Parading Through My Room
Flying Flags And Signs That Say

“fear And Confusion, This Haunting Conclusion,
Will Begin To Swallow Everything That You Are.
Just Don’t Think So Hard.”

We Are The Same Fragile Frames
Of Flesh And Bone
Of Blood And Teeth
All Born And Bound To Misery
We Are All The Same
We Just Carry Different Names

And The Agony Of The World Grows In Our Bodies
Like A Painful Pearl
And It We Can Not Purge
It Always Remains
It’s Always Changing It’s Face With Age

This Marks My Mind
It Presses Down On Me
It Marks My Mind
Like A Fallen Leaf Left In Fresh Concrete

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Splinters

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Lyrics To “splinters”
And So They Say-
Hey Kid Why Can’t You Keep Your Head Up?
Please Stop Pleading And Start Acting Like Yourself.

Well Who The Hell Is That Anyway?

So With No Signs Of Relief
I Seem To See More Sense In Holding Hands With The Dead.
While I Lay Alone
While I Lay Below Old Photos Of Us;
The Milestones.

Cause’ My Friend Told Me-
She’ll Settle Deep Like A Pain In The Palm Of Your Hand.
So I Said-
Can’t You See
Man, It’s Not All That Easy-
Cause I Don’t Know What Love Means.”

Oh I Wish You’d At Least Let Me See The Golden Roads That You Promised.
Or Just Give Me Back My Jaded Heart That You Stole When You Left Me High And Dry.
Cause’ What Good Is Wax With Out A Wick To Burn It All Away?
What Good Is Hope When All You’ve Left Me Is A Fabricated,
Fair-weather Phrase.

I Don’t Know.
Maybe I’m Just A Kid
Maybe I’ve Sunken Into Some Quarter Life Crisis.
I Don’t Know.
Maybe It Is This Weight,
This Darkness That Makes Me Shake,
That Keep Us All Alive.
I Don’t Know.

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My Father, The Fatalist

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The Colors Were Captured In ‘89
We Were Two Children
One Six Months
One Thirty-one

I Wished You Had Whispered
“listen Son, A Disease Is Buried Deep Inside Of Me,
And Inside Of You As Well.”

Cause Now I’m Left Waiting
Like Father, Like Son
We Were Both Born With The Damage Done

At Least Now I Know
Death Claimed My Name The Day,
The Moment I Was Born
All Of The Women Who Will Weep And Who Will Mourn
Those That Will Cry Along Side My Casket Have All Been Called
Their Calendars Marked
Cause The Cancer That Will Kill Me Has Been Formed
So I Say
Metaphysics No More
I Sleepwalk With X’s For Eyes
I’ve Got Nothing But Time

Cause Now I’m Left Waiting
Life Father
Like Son
We Were Both Born With The Damage Done

I Always Wondered Why You Ran Away
Idle Time Is All To Blame
The Devils Playground Where You Use To Lay

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For The Sake Of Skin

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In Many Ways I’ve Changed
But’ I’ve Mainly Just Stayed The Same
Thanks To The Pictures And Shit That You Scattered
And Left In My Place
You Know I’ve Always Been Good With Bad Habits
But So Bad With All The Rest
I’m Just A Sharp Tongued Drunk With Books Of Problems
Stacked Up On My Chest
But At Least I’m Not Afraid To Admit To All Of My Games
When You Keep Creeping In
Just To Tell Me I’m The One To Blame
For All The Things That You’ve Done
And As For Me
I’ve Given You All That I Have – Everything
All For The Sake Of Skin

So What Do You Want Now?
What Do You Need From Me”
Some Kind Of Selfish Sense Of Security?
You Tell Me That I’m Your Best Friend
Or Am I Just A Better Fuck?
Either Way
The Roads You Pave Won’t Bring Us Back Together

Cause You Have Taught Me –
Love Is: Never Saying That You’re Sorry
Love Is: Only Knowing When You’re Lonely
Love Is: Never Saying That You’re Sorry
Love Is: Leading People On

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It’s No Wonder Why

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I Remember Your Hands At The Funeral Home
So Cold And Vacant
Just Like Your Face As You Laid There Alone
And The Caretaker Tried
He Tried So Hard
You Were Covered In Cover-up
I Stood At The Foot Of Your Casket And Thought-

It’s No Wonder Why She Retreated
Just Like The Veins In Your Arms
In Fear Of Forming More Scar Tissue And Puncture Wounds

Is It Sad To Say The Things That I Remember
The Most Are Your Blacked Out Phone Calls?
Or How You Gave Up Your Life
Your Kids And Your Wife
All For The Needles And Pills That You Needed So Much

It’s Alright, It’s Okay, We’re Better Off This Way.

It’s No Wonder Why I Remember Your Hands At The Funeral Home
So Cold And Vacant
Just Like The Shadows Where You Lived Alone
It’s No Wonder Why I Wasn’t Surprised
When The Coroner Called Three Weeks Later
And Told Us You Overdosed On Methadone
It’s No Wonder Why.

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I Am Only An Island

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And Still There Is No Hope In Holding On.
So Now I Lean On You As I Do,
As I Would With The Wind.
Cause’ We Were Nothing More Than A Moment
Another Wish In A Well
Another Piece Of Trash To Pass On The Road Back Home.

And I Alone-
I Am Only An Island
I Am Only A Mark
Set In The Center Of An Ocean
In This Ocean That Is You.
And On The Shores Where We Both Grew Together-
We Built Our Love Like Castles In The Sand.
But Your Greedy Hands,
Your Tides,
Your Lies Eroded Everything.

I Hope You Know-
That I Don’t Want To Burn This Bridge
No.
I Want To Burn The Entire Town We Built It In.
So I Can Be Reborn In A City I Once Adored
With A Clean Slate
A New Name
A New Face
A Blank Book With Out A Crease In A Page.
Cause’ Once Again I Feel Trapped Along Side All This Trash I Pass Out On Harvard Avenue.

And As For You-
You Were Never A Trophy
You Were Never A Notch.
Cause’ My Belt Is Not Like The Other Boys,
The Other Ones That You’ve Pulled Off On The Side.
You Fucking Whore.

I Am Done.

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Big Blue

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The Day We Played I Was A Mess
I Stood Like A Child
Tugging On A Mother’s Dress Asking Why
As Your Family And All Of Our Friends
Walked In With Awkward Heavy Heads
All Knowing It Just Hadn’t Hit Yet
And Every Time I Saw The Hands
The Burning Candles And The Crosses
Every Time I Glanced Up At The Goodbyes
I Realized I’d Sacrifice The World For It
For One Minute More With You

So Big Blue Can You Hear Me Sing?
Big Brother Are You Listening To Me
When I Say I Wish I Had One More Day?
Do You Know Each Day I See You On The Avenue Of Arts?
Next To That Single Ribbon In A Tree
Right In Front Of Me

And When I Do
I Know I’d Sacrifice The World For Just One Minute More With You
Even Though I Know
Half Of Knowing What You Want
Is Knowing What You Have To Give To Get It

I’d Sacrifice The World For It.

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No Face In The Crowd

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And Even Her Absence Is A Pressence That Stays
Silence Is Emphasized By A Radiator’s Shake

I Sit Confined Again
I Am Buried Deep Within
Set Up Like Stained Glass In A Windowless World
This Is My Life – Eat. Sleep. Work. Wait.
Day By Day I Calculate The Shapes That Tie Me To This Place
To This Helm To This Hell
Inch By Inch I Trace The Walls As She Calls
But What Miracle Is This?
Eat. Sleep. Work. Wait.

“there Is No Second I Have Lived That I Can Call My Own.”

And Even Her Absence Is A Pressence That Stays
Silence Is Emphasized By A Radiator’s Shake
As Her Still Singing Limbs Echo In
“oh Out Cry, Oh Out Cry Love Delays Our King”

This Pain Is My Lover
Her Kiss Is My Calling
So Let The Water Run Cold For Now
As If Rome Isn’t Burning Behind My Door
In A World Where We All Live Like Teething Rings
I Am My Own Worst Enemy
I Am The House That Will Not Set Me Free

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The Art Of Transparency

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I Keep Shedding My “friends” Like The Pigment In My Skin
A Little Less Each Day
Leaving A Bigger Hole Which I Try And Fill Back In
I Call This The Art Of Transparency
And Now That This Emperor Found New Clothes To Wear
I’ll Declare That I’m Through Being Alone
With Everyon I Think I Know

I’m Done Fucking Around
I’m Done Dancing On The Graves Of Past Mistakes
And Relationships I’ve Burned At The Stake
I’ve Buried More Bones Than My Body Can Hold
But Now I’m Done Digging Them Up
I’ve Wrote The Requiem And It Reads

That I’m Through Being Alone With Everyone I Think I Know
So Go And Say What You Want

Call It Running Away
Call It Anything You Want
I Guess I Couldn’t Find Comfort In Some Shallow Boston Life
Or When I’d End Up Somewhere
Passed Out Downtown
And All Of My Ambitions Would Fall Short
Faster Than The Night I Drank Away

So Call It Running Away
Call It Anything You Want

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You Leave

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We Are All Sufferers Of Love
Waiting For The Rains To Come
Hoping They Flood Away The Pain
Some Stable
Some Not Safe To Say
But We’re All Wishing Death Would Call
Would Scream
Out Each And Every Name
So Here I Am
Praying For The Rains To Come
Wishing I Could Flood Away The Pain
And With The Smell Of Smoke And Plastic Gin
Washed Over My Face And Past My Knees
I Slowly Wait To Be Erased

Thinking

We Are All Like Specks Of Dust
That Happened To Collect In The Same Shining Ray Of Sun
In A Golden Hue That Cast Right Through Some Old Man’s Living Room
As He Lives All Alone In Overtones
And Accents Of Smoke And Nicotine
A Calming Subtlety To Compliment The Clipper Ships In Bottles
And The Paintings He Has Hung
And While We All Float And Live By Chance
He Just Sits And Stares And Laughs At The Shadows We Create

And Then You Leave
Just Like God When He Abandoned All Of Us
With The Punishment Of Love
And Then You Leave
As The Devil Feeds He Pushes Misery Like Air Into Our Lungs
So It Will Settle In Our Blood
And Then You Leave.

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Escape

The Publicist

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While We Were Sinking-
I Was Thinking Why I Should Drown Myself;
Just Drag Myself Down By The Weight Of Lies.
Oh I Was Dreaming Of Reasons To Leave You Behind.
All I Needed Was To Set This Aside-

A: “well I Wish That I Could Choke Back All The Times That You Were
Easily Amused By Letting Go.”
B “and I Know You Will Never Let It Down.”

And You Know Why I Could Never Find A Friend Inside That Broken Shell
You Call Yourself.
But, I Always Loved The Way You Worked Your Words Around The Crowds.

So Say I’m So Wrong And Selfish-
And I’ll Push And Pull Through All The Teeth That You Have Grown Over The Weeks.
But I’ll Still Say That You Are The Sum Of All You Problems.
And You Know Why I Have Grown To Hate The Love You Say You Hold So Deep Inside;
That Hollow “heart” Of Yours.

You Said That We Will Never Be The Same Again.
And You Know I Will Never Let It Down

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You And No Other

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This Is The End.
And I Can’t Pretend That Im Okay-
I’m Not Okay.
I Cant Even Remember When You Slithered Away And Left Me With This Emptiness.
So Bring Back What You Said We Once Had-
’cause I’d Pay To See A Preacher Like You Lie.
And You Know I Keep Everything Locked Underground-
Safe And Sound.
In This Body You Call On Me For.
I Keep Everything Locked Underground, Safe And Sound.

(my God!)
We Are Worlds Apart-
And These Grey Hairs I’ve Grown
Have Been Nursed By The Number Of Times I’ve Tried To Think Of Why
This Will Never Change.

3 A.m.
I Toss And Turn In My Bed, Trying To Shed This Skin That I Am Buried In.
I Can’t Even Remember Why I Tried To Tread, Tried To Fight Against The
Tide Another Time.
Oh I’d Pay To See A Martyr Like You Die.

We Were Given The Wax To Burn So Bright-
But Our Love, Our Light, Was Smothered By The Hands Of Spite.

And I Always Knew That It Would End Like This-
I Always Knew We Were Destined To Die From The Start.
I Always Knew That It Would End Like This.

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45 Miles

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This Could Be A Blessing In Disguise.
And I Know That You’ve Tried To Think That Maybe We Were Put Here For A Reason.
Well I Believe That You Have To Keep Your Head Up-
And Just Move On Into The Dark
With His Love Burrowed Deep In Your Heart.

Oh Please Don’t Fall Asleep Feeling Like The Only One Left In The
World Who’s Alone.
’cause You Know That I Am Only Forty-five Miles Away.
And I Could Be By Your Bedside In No Time, Singing You Back To Sleep.

So When I See You Next Time, Sometime Next Week-
Take This As An Invitation For You To Believe That I’m Trying My
Hardest To Keep That Rhythm Of Yours, That Joy Of Your Life Safe.
Oh I Swear That Man Was Reborn Into A Boy.
A Boy With A Smile So Cute He Could Crack You Up;
Even In The Darkest Room.

And When I Call You On The Phone Don’t Say To Me: “al, I’m Feeling Lonely.”
Jenna, Just Tell Me To, Just Say: “i Want You To Take That Train Tonight.”

Oh Please Jen, Don’t Leave Me Hanging On.
’cause I Know Tonight I Could Be By Your Bedside Singing You To Sleep.

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Farewell, Via Park

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And When We Left Did You Find Out Who You Are?
Or Did You Try To Cover Up All Of The Things That She Said?
Just Sweep Them Under The Rug.
’cause She Was So Far Gone By Then But She Was Burning In The Back Of Your Mind.
And I Know It Was So Hard To Find A Reason To Believe Her-
Or Even Leave It All Behind.
But We All Break Down Sometimes.
And When You’d Tell Me: “well, I Feel Like I’m Running Out Of Time.”
I’d Lie Through These Teeth Of Mine.

I Just Wish I Had The Chance To Get To You Know A Little Bit More
Before That Thursday Turned Around.

*abrupt Ringing In Park Street.

And With Those Three Words I Knew It Was True.
’cause She Was So Far Gone By Then.
And I Know-
It Was So Hard To Find A Reason To Believe Her.

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Deep In The Cell

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The Night Was Still Young-
As The Snow Fell From The Sky Like Shards Light From High Above The Pru.
Then She Said: “hey, Lets Leave And Find A Better Place Where No One
Will Know Our Names Or Our Faces.”
She Lead Me Quietly, Holding Tight, Just Like A Ghost.
And We Ran, And I Remember Him Saying, Taped And Replying:
“you’ll Never Miss What You Forget, So Just Loosen Your Hands My Friend.”
And While She Drew In All The Air-
Breathing In Slowly, So Slowly, I Said: “wait, Would You Just Wait
For Me? Lets Hold Out, And Hold It In.”
Then She Whispered: “but Still, You’d Say They All Seem To Walk The Same Way.”

But How Can You Train These Legs To Stray?
How Can I Recover Here?

So While I Lay Awake In The Dark-
Promise Me These Dreams Will Wash This Away.
And I Will Sleep Eternally.

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Traces

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“my Will Is An Ambulance On Emergency Call.”

All I Want To Do Is Leave This Little City Thats Closing On Me.
I Shift Left, I Shift Right.
And In The Restless Night-
I Lay Like A Leopard, Left To Rot, Knowing I Will Never Shed These Spots.

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I Get Nervous In Cars

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You Said This Time Would Be The Last-
You Said That Its Over.
You Swore To Me You’d Put The Bottle Back Down.
So Many Times I’ve Tried To Teach You
Keep You From Loosing Another One.

’cause She Can See Right Through All The Excuses You Feed Her.
And I Know That I Can’t Find Any Kind Of Definition-
’cause You Seem So Dead To Me.
Do You Still Ask Yourself: “will They Remember Me?”
Do You Still Ask Yourself: “why Do I Even Try?”

’cause We’d Die Fighting To Keep You Alive.

You Said So Softly To Me Once, While Waiting For Her:
“you’ve Got So Much. Son, You’ve Got The World On Your Shoulders. So
Carry Me Home.”
But I Know It Won’t Change.
No.
It Won’t Go Away.
And I Can’t Bare To Watch You Do This To Yourself Another Time.

You Said That It’s Over
You Swore You’d Never Lie To Her
Why?
So Many Times I’ve Tried To Teach You
To Keep You From Losing Her Again

You Are Connected.

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Anniversary

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A: “i Hope That When You Get Home The Things That We’ve Said Are Still Gonna Be Said.
Even Though We Both Know Our Mouths Have Tendencies To Hold Back.”

B: “i Just Want You To Know That I’ve Tried So Hard To Explain Myself This Time.
There’s No Easy Way For Me To Say What I Am, What I’m Thinking Or What I’m Feeling So
Forgive Me For These Actions But The Accusations Are Correct.”

So My Dear
(goodnight Goodbye)
And It Fell
And They Pulled His Words Like Her Limbs From The Rubble
Oh They Crushed Like Lovers Fit For Battle
And They Held A Fourth Floor Burial In Her Name
And Then The Rain Created Rhythms To Comfort All The Bodies
To Wash Away Her Story
And They Fell
But The Pictures Proved To Show It All
As Her Cry Dies Out Along With
The Oath They Swore Would Never Fall
What I’m Thinking Or What I’m Feeling So
Forgive Me For These Actions But The Accusations Are Correct
Her Cry Dies Out With The Covenant They Swore Would Never Fall Apart

This Is Only A Chapter

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This Is Only A Chapter
This Is Merely A Moment In Our Lives Where We Don’t Know Who We Are

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Empire

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And Here We Are Again, Buried In My Sheets
Your Fingers Are Whispers Saying The Softest Things To Every Inch Of My Skin
And Even Asleep These Eyes Of Yours Seem To Keep Me On My Toes
They Just Swallow Me Whole And This Gift You Left For Me
Is One To Put Me To Sleep In Such A Way That I Would Never Want To Wake Again
Cause We’re So Good At What We Do
With Our Arms Crossed And Our Fingers Locked We Work Like Perfect Puzzle Pieces
Cut Right And Formed To Fit
But It’s So Different When
I Know You’ve Gone
So Take Me Quietly And I’ll Leave This Body Behind Me
Oh These Rhythms Of Mine Are So Inconsistent Anyway
Just One Gasp And I’ll Be Gone
I Don’t Ever Want To Wake Again
So Leave The Lights Off Tonight
And I’ll Use This Air As Rope To Drag Myself Up Through My Throat
Cause I Get So Caught
I Get So Choked Up Anyway With Any Thought Of You
Those Looks You Throw They Level Me

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Aurora

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Please Save Me Aurora
Don’t Let Them Tear Me Apart
Let Me Keep My Insides On The Inside
Like The Light This Night Has Stolen From Me
Like The Light I’ll Never Close My Eyes Again

Home Is Where The Heart Is

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A Breeze Is Creeping Under Your Doorway
As You Fall Asleep Alone In The Cold
And The Beaches Are Glowing Calm And Deep
And Aside From The Silence
All That’s There To Keep You From Running Right Back To The Start
Are The Pictures That Are Hanging On Your Walls
And I Bet You’ve Thought To Yourself
“if Only I…” But Now Your Screaming On Your Knees
Wait, Don’t Run Away Without Me
It’s Not Worth Leaving Now It’s Alright, It’s All Okay
And When You’re Out On The Porch You’re Singing One, Two, Three
You’ve Got Too Much Time To Think So Much Time
I Wonder If You Ever Try To Hear Those Footsteps In Our Rooms In Our House
Do You Ever Feel My Words Brush The Back Of Your Neck At Night?
Well I Just Thought That You Should Know I Think We’re Running Our Course
So Many Times We’ve Moved
More Than Your Oldest Pair Of Walking Shoes
And Our Heals Were Begging
Our Hearts Were Telling
They’re Screaming
“it’s Time To Let Go”

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Pretty Boy Floyd

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You Are The Dust Before It Rains
You Were The Precursor To All These Thoughts That I’m Thinking
No Heart, No Reason To Try And Work It Out, ’cause What’s Done Is Done
“well I’m Over It.” – No Its Just Over Your Head
I Bet Thats What Runs Through Your Mind Every Time You See My Name On Your List
You’re Too Scared To Type, You’re Too Proud To Pick Up Your Phone
Well, You’re So Sad
And Its Too Bad Because This Was The Biggest Mistake That You Ever Made
Just Believe Me When I Say You’re Not Worth Fighting For
So I’m Letting Go This Time
’cause There Are So Many Things I’d Like To Say To You
Like Step Out Of The Cave And Into The Light
Feel What It’s Like To Hold Some Kind Of Feeling
Stop Being Such A “realist” For Just Five Minutes Please
’cause All I Need Is Just A Little Of Your Time
You Pretty Boy, Your Not Worth Fighting For

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The Modern World, A Battlefield

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It’s Falling Out Of Place Again
Another Day, Another One Is Gone With The Speed Of The Sun
Holding On Was Always The Worst Choice I Chose To Make
So Please Forget That I Ever Existed
’cause I’ve Already Moved On
I Keep Retracing These Patterns
I’m Getting Caught In All Of This Again And Again
I Keep Deleting These Numbers Because I Know I Can’t Keep Chasing Them Around
It’s Just A Matter Of Time Now Before My Limbs Give Out On Us
Yeah, Even She Said So Sarcastically During A Long Night Talk Prior To Three Months That We’d Lost.
“just Run Away, Its The Best Way To Fix All Those Fading Friendships We’ve Lost”
So Answer This Then, What’s Left To Do When You’ve Got No One Around You?
When Everyone You Know Is A Ghost
When Everything You Hold In Your Hands Keeps Slipping Away
Well, Still You Say I Never Give Enough
I Never Open Up
Well, You Got It, Here I Am
I Scream In Front Of Random People On Random Nights Of The Week
Spilling My Guts For Strangers, Writing My Life On Paper
Here I Am

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Linear Skies

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As The Sun Sank Behind The Western Range
I Realized The First Time Was So Much Easier Than This
And You Know I Can’t Keep Playing Your Games
Forgive And Forget, All Those Things You Said Back In The Day
Well I Feel Like I’m Losing All My Faith In You, And All My Love Again
So Just Put Me On A Plane Back Home Back To The East Coast
’cause I Miss The Smell Of The Salt And The Sight Of The Ocean
And I’m Sorry If It Seems Like I’m Overreacting Over And Over Again
But You’re Just So Full Of Yourself And You Keep On Stretching Out All These Lies You Live
The Linear Skies, All The Grids And Flat Lines Seem So Synthetic To Me
Just Like The Image You Reflect When You Gaze Into Your Mirror At Night
Phonies And Fakes And All The Things We Agreed That We Hate
Oh It’s So Funny How Things Worked Out. Isn’t It?
Well, Even I Thought That You Were The Purest Person That I Knew
But No, We All Make Mistakes, Just Some Of Us Chose To Learn From Them
All These Lies You Live Are Killing Me, So Take Me Home