A peaceful autumn breeze and me at seventeen
Both of us kicking leaves, killing time at the ravine
When suddenly it all hits me


Nothing is as it seems


I grew up an angry kid,
Punk-rock was all I did
Black t-shirts, with harsh swear words,
Growing up - the only thing it hid

Fifty miles in my moms car, thinking that was so **** far
A small crowd packed in a dingy bar
All to wait for dimming lights, stage-dives, fist fights
We'd sing the songs all ******* night,
It made us feel like we were right

But nothing'd ever change

The world doesn't hear fifty young voices,
Bold flavored shirts don't change others' choices
Besides, the concrete walls drowned out most of our noises
No one could see our radical views,
Nobody else thought it was anything new,
But it was what we chose to do

2007, that's the year I grew

I see old friends posting pictures,
Now they look like aging hipsters,
Still wearing the black tops,
Still hanging at the same record shops
"Glory never fades if you never leave it"
But some of us just need change,
Goals to move towards,
Something to believe in
And some get stuck in what they're doing
If they’re happy then there's no sense moving

No reason for turning the page
Some people never change

We talked.
We got together.
We drank.
We left together.
We ******.
We slept together.
We dreamed.
We woke up together.
We laughed.

I left.

You never responded to my texts again.

At least you didn't continue
to lead me on.
I don't have to spend the time
asking myself
what's going through your mind.
          (I will anyway,
     but at least I don't have to,
          I'm not drawn in by misleading texts,
     words you tell my friends,
          or more drunken ***)

At least I know I was just a body,
used to keep you warm.

the other day we were in a
bookstore in the mall
and my woman said, "look, there's
Bob!"

"I don't know him," I said.

"we had dinner with him
not too long ago," she said.

"all right," I said, "let's get
out of here."

Bob was a clerk in the store
and his back was to us.

my woman yelled, "hello, Bob!"

Bob turned and smiled, waved.
my woman waved back.
I nodded at Bob, a very
delicate blushing fellow.
(Bob, that is.)

outside my woman asked, "don't you remember him?"

"no."

"he came over with Ella. re- member Ella?"

"no."

my woman remembers everything.

I don't understand it, although
I suppose it's polite
to remember names and faces
I just can't do it
I don't want to carry all those
Bobs and Ellas and Jacks and Marions
and Darlenes around in my mind. eating and
drinking with them is difficult en- ough.
to attempt to recall them at will
is an affront to my well-
being.

that they remember me is
bad enough.

Oh hell
Hell no
No way
Way to go
We've only got a little bit further
'Til we get through the snow

Right on
On guard
Guards are up
Up in arms
It took you time to see
That this is part of our charm

We head back
Back down
Down and out
Out on the town
You look just like a starry sky
In that new night gown

More drinks
Drink it up
Up and down
Down the cup
Just a little bit more
and I swear that's enough

I like you
You like me
Me and you
You can see
Even if it doesn't last
For right now, it's meant to be

We get home
Home run
Run away
Away and done
If I am truly your moon
Than you must be my sun

We lay here
Here in my space
Spacing out
Out of the race
I hold your body close
So you'll find comfort in my place

In my arms
Arms race
Racing hearts
Hearts and spades
I will cherish this moment
Even when the warmth fades

If you'll hope for hope
I'll hope that I can, too.
Between the towers and the marble
something drew me to you.

Because you're trying to get something.
I think that it's inner peace.
but you won't find that here,
no you won't, not in me.

And even if I were right,
you would tell me that I'm wrong.
You don't want a man to save you,
just someone who plays along.

So I've stopped answering the questions;
I side with you in false awe.
But wonder and adventure
are both dishes best served raw.

I've introduced you to my friends,
we've all danced the nights away.
And yet I still feel lonely
when you ask why I can't stay.

You haven't put that much together
to not have an answer by now.
It either means you're empty headed
or a tease, but I'm in doubt.

You just don't feel this way,
not as often as me.
And if that's the case,
then I guess we'll never be.

Girl, I still feel alone
when you ask me to stay
because I still feel alone
each and every other day.

See, a man needs something
that he can hold on to,
and that's either his chivalry
or a woman like you.

Yeah, it's either a bottle
or a woman like you.

You know, it's either his faith
or a woman like you.

I swear, life sure gets hard
without a woman like you.

The leather was ice cold
in my car and my backseat.
So, we spread out my suitcoat
like a blanket on the beach;
not enough to make much difference,
but it kept the sand off of our feet.
I guess this was the perfect getaway,
a fitting end to a bitter week.

You were never the target
so I never really missed
Close to home was the spot
I intended to hit
And as for the mark,
I'm not sorry to've took aim
But she was just a simple pawn
in an exemplary game