one thousand and thirty-six miles
are What Separates You From Me
i've been avoiding the records
we'd spin as we drove down
I4 and A1A

you swore you hated this washed-up town
nestled in a fly-over state
but i cannot escape the way
you grit your teeth
when you first cursed my name

so i'll hide you in the back of my throat
hang you like a corpse
from an out-of-commission larynx
deadened by an absence of anthems
we used to breathe in unison

choke back my melancholy
'cause all my friends lose interest
whenever i recall your face
and i can't say i blame them
i just wish i could agree
that i am better off this way