Firefly

I built a keep to hold my anger in, I built a fortress for my keep
I built a castle around my fortress and I dug a moat that's two fathoms deep
I built a city for my castle, I filled it up with my subjects
They are all paralyzed by the fear of the city and all the anger that it protects
I built a nation for my city, made all the wild country tame
I made a world to hold my nation where every living creature fears my name
Oh, I put up the skies and filled the oceans, I built the universe as well
I made a heaven that only I can get into, everybody else can go to hell

And so I burn like a firefly, I send my signal out to you
Into the blackness all around only hoping you can find some way to break through
You can find some way to break through

I drink my coffee in the morning and listen to the radio
But all these comforts are just cold hollow reminders of everything I had that I let go
So I live this life of luxury inside a universe I made
But at night I sleep so fitfully behind an iron barricade

And so I burn like a firefly, I send my signal out to you
Into the blackness all around only hoping you can find some way to break through
You can find some way to break through, you can find some way to break through

Testify

Lying on the pavement, thinking back, into that moment when it all went black
It started with you, you wanted to try to raise up your hands and testify

Oh I took the next step, you just watched me go, I took the next step, just for my ego
It started with me, I wanted to try to raise my hands up and testify

And as the sky grew heavy with rain we listened to the sound
We realize when our feet leave the ground our heads are in the clouds
And it's such a long way, such a long way down, it's a long way down

So we find a place so far away, no one ever goes leave all our worries behind us
Looking down upon the world making us feel high, we're ready to testify

And as the sky grew heavy with rain we listened to the sound
We realize when our feet leave the ground our heads are in the clouds
It's such a long way, such a long way down, it's a long way down, it's a long way down, a long way down

Laying on the pavement, thinking back, into that moment when it all went black

Only You

I wake up and I'm shaking, sweating, I reach out to find that you're too far away
I want you, but I keep forgetting, live for tomorrow, die for today

I am just like an acrobat tumbling down from the wire, and I'm fragile but happily broken for what I desire
And all I see as I sink down into the blue, all I hope for as I come to
Only you, only you, only you, only you

Only you, swim like a dream in my vein
Only you, sing me another refrain
Only you, tell me what more can I do
Only you, if I have the world and want only you? Only you

I wake up and I'm shaking, sweating, I reach out and find you've gone away
And I still want to, but I keep forgetting, live for tomorrow is to die for today

And we are like acrobats tumbling down from the wire, we are fragile but happily broken for what we desire
And all I see as I look up into the blue, all I hope for as I come to
Only you, only you, only you, only you, only you, only you, only you, only you, only you

Two Dragonflies

Two dragonflies suspended in the air, flickering in time, I stop and stare
Oh the days are shorter now, the season winding down, as the honey colored leaves lay scattered on the ground
The children climb the rusted carousel, the preacher is too old to ring the bell
And the church beside the orchard crumbling silently, all the lovers in the field touching imperfectly

If you'll say anything, then say it now, if you'll say anything, then say it now
Oh and I will welcome you in, I will welcome you in, I will welcome you in, in here with me

Wild animals asleep beneath my floor, a bitter wind is howling at the door
And ghostly smoke, it creeps out from the fireplace, the fading sunset blushing red upon your face
The rain begins to fall, the tide to ebb, eyes closing as I slowly spin my web
The silent highway, long as any winter's night, the patient grave that sits waiting to hold you tight

If you'll give anything, then give it now, if you'll give anything, then give it now
Oh and I will welcome you in, and I will welcome you in, yes I will welcome you in, in here with me

No Compromise

You made me a man with the back of your hand as we cast our lines in to the shallows
You showed me the ropes and the crushing of hopes with a laugh loud enough for the gallows

Yes and I will give sorrow for sorrow, and I will give no compromise
And I will give my hollow comfort to you when everything else in you dies
I will dry your eyes

I sat on the bus and I thought about us as I watched all the rain on the highway
I drift into a dream so sad and obscene that you finally see all of this my way

And I will give sorrow for sorrow, and I will give no compromise
And I will give my hollow comfort to you when everything else in you dies

Maybe someone else can dig deeper than I do, maybe someone else can bleed better than I do
Just for you

You made me a man with the back of your hand as we cast our lines in to the shallows
You showed me the ropes and he crushing of hopes with a laugh loud enough for the gallows

Come To Me

Listen there's a sound on the wind, it's soft but it's strong, it's pulling me onward, like a love song
Look through the shadows, sniff at the air, I feel it hiding, there's something out there
Singing "Come, come, come to me"
Singing "Come, come, come to me"

It's cold and it's hungry and searching for cover, but soon I'll be holding it, close as a lover
A murder of crows blots out the sunshine, as in one desperate leap, our bodies entwine

We sing "Come, come, come to me"
Singing "Come, come, come to me"

We sing a love song, we sing a love song, 'til the pain is gone
We sing a love song, we sing a love song, 'til the pain is gone
We sing a love song, we sing a love song, 'til the pain is gone

It's as certain as sunrise, as red as a rose, patient as a devil, it reaps what it sows
This act is not evil, nor is it divine, it's the way of the world, I am yours, you are mine

I am yours, you are mine, you are mine, you are mine, so come to me
You are mine, you are mine, you are mine, come to me
You are mine, you are mine, you are mine, you are mine, you are mine
Come to me

How It Was Meant To Be

Well is this how it was meant to be? Is this all that there is for me?
Is this rope that's around me ever gonna loosen up?
And when my daddy looked me right in the eyes, I knew it was time we said our goodbyes
And this pain in my chest has been getting the best of me since

So come and take it away, come on and take it all away
Dig me out from under before I suffocate
Please take it away, please take it all away
And when everything is in place, help me escape, help me escape

Well is this how it was meant to be? Is this all that there is for me?
Is the river for my baptism all dried up?
I started to feel like I was floating in space, man I was punching all over the place
And you and all of the rest have been getting the best of me since

So come and take it away, come on and take it all away
Dig me out from under before I suffocate
Take it away, oh take it all away
And when everything is in place, help me escape, help me escape

Take me in a dream, take me anywhere
Push me under deep, pull me up for air
Is the river for my baptism all dried up?

Soapbox

And ain't it lovely when you're falling off your soapbox?
The way time stops, all their jaws drop, as you drift down
And ain't it lovely when you're laid out on the concrete?
Don't it taste sweet? The blood on your teeth drips on the ground

If you know you're headed for slaughter, if you know where you've been
Oh, you will be changed, like iron by water, this is the end, just the end, the end of an age

And in't it lovely when you feel humilation
And then desolation, then that elation, knowing you're free
And ain't it lovely when the medicine you're needing, all you're begging and pleading
It's slowly receding, now you're free

And if you know you're headed for slaughter, if you know, where you've been
Oh you will be changed, like iron by water, this is the end, just the end, the end of an age

When the boys lay you down, you're the talk of the town, and you leave it all over the page
And when you spout out your truth from a fountain of youth and it's lunacy mingled with rage

And it's just the end, just the end, the end of an age

And ain't it lovely when you're falling off your soapbox?
The way time stops, all their jaws drop, now you're free

Lament

We see the admiral walking, the killers are talking, the jackal is stalking its prey
We see the window reflecting, the forecast projecting, a sun that's collecting the day

There's a hole at the edge of town where we go, when we're all run down
There's a hole outside of town that's meant for you
There's a hole outside of town meant for me too

And before our eyes, every hour spent, we sanctify, absolve and lament, as the dogs pick up our scent

We're looking where you're directing, we're deeply connecting, the strong are selecting the weak
We see a deep blue horizon, the red moon that's rising, the beauty disguising the freak

There's a hole at the edge of town where we go, when we're all run down
There's a hole outside of town that's meant for you
There's a hole outside of town meant for me too

So before our eyes, every hour spent, we sanctify, absolve and lament
Singing "Oh, the hammer blows do fall but never seem to make a dent"
Singing "Oh, we cannot stop at all to wonder where the hours went"

As the dogs pick up our scent

We see the admiral walking, the killers are talking, the jackal is stalking its prey
We see the window reflecting, the forecast projecting, a sun that's collecting the day
The day, the day, the day, the day, the day

Warning Signs

Take this moment as a warning sign, a perfect pearl thrown among the swine
There is prophecy in every word I say
I've been carrying your heavy load, through the valleys on this endless road
You keep dancing, but I keep getting nowhere

So goodbye, just dry your eyes, so goodbye, goodbye

'Cause every time I think I'm playing it cool, you always treat me like I'm a fool
Am I too stupid to read between your lines? These are the warning signs

Did you think I would just go away? Did you think that it would end this way?
I know that I was blind, but now I see
We try to kiss away the fears, to swallow all the wasted years
The blinder is he who will not see

So goodbye, just dry your eyes, so goodbye, goodbye

'Cause every time I think I'm playing it cool, you always treat me like I'm a useless fool
Am I too stupid to read between your lines? These are the warning signs

In the end it's all the same, and the wine is my distraction from the grave
Oh wou read me just like a clock as I unwind, these are the warning signs

Take this moment as a warning sign, a perfect pearl thrown among the swine
I know that I was blind, but now I see, but now I see

Leaving (Hallelujah)

I've been having this nightmare, again and again, I've been trying to drive it from me, with alcohol, paper and pen
Inexorable winter creeps cold into our paradise, we hear the explosion of trees snapping under the ice

When I walk in the room I am hopeful but don't see you smile
So I borrow two thousand, book passage and leave for a while

I never thought you could be so far away from me, as I saw you washing your delicate hands so clean
And everyone here has a motive for all that they say, but the only thing driving me now is driving you away
In the night the sound of you breathing is haunting me still, I know I will never come clean, but you know that I will

And I'll sing "Hallelujah, hallelujah, hallelujah"
I'll sing "Hallelujah, hallelujah, hallelujah"
"Hallelujah, hallelujah, hallelujah"

So I stuff the rest of my reasons into an old guitar case, carry them down to the river, where all of your sins are erased
And the executioner is singing a song for the knife, it's a melody softly conveyed at the end of a life

When I walk in the room I am hopeful but don't see you smile
So I borrow two thousand, book passage and leave for a while

Oh can I be more than a note in your unfinished symphony? Should I just cue up, screw up again and again?
And sometimes I cannot explain all the things that I say, the only direction I know is going away
You tell me the places we end up and where we begin, how I pray that the day I come knocking you will take me in

And I'll sing "Hallelujah, hallelujah, hallelujah"
Sing "Hallelujah, hallelujah, hallelujah"
"Hallelujah, hallelujah, hallelujah"
"Hallelujah, hallelujah, hallelujah"
"Hallelujah, hallelujah, hallelujah"
"Hallelujah, hallelujah, hallelujah"
"Hallelujah, hallelujah, hallelujah"
"Hallelujah, hallelujah, hallelujah"
"Hallelujah, hallelujah, hallelujah"
"Hallelujah, hallelujah, hallelujah"

Cast Aside

If I seem to chill you like a blade upon your skin, I am just preparing for it all to start again
And when you're high I only hope you don't look down on me, of all the things beneath your wings I don't want to be
Cast aside, no more upon your mind, cast aside, no more upon your mind

I was down the beach and out of reach and weathering the blows, if you step into an empty room you'd best be on your toes
Did you cut to read my history like rings inside a tree? Of all the things beneath your wings, I don't wanna to be
Cast aside, no more upon your mind, cast aside, no more upon your mind

'Cause I'm an addict, I tune into static, 'cause I'm an addict, it's on automatic
So throw me away, throw me away, just throw me away, throw me away

If I seem to chill you like a blade upon your skin, I am just preparing for it all to start again

The Frozen Ground

Pines trees are trembling all around, pine trees are trembling all around
It's tough to get this shovel into the frozen ground, pine trees are trembling all around

Oh Lord, am I one that you can save? Oh Lord, am I one that you can save?
As I lay my lover down into this cold grave, Lord, am I one that you can save?

I've been mean and wicked, soaked in sin, I've been mean and wicked, soaked in sin
But this world is a hard place to be good in, I've been mean and wicked, soaked in sin

My love she was good to me, for a time, my love she was good to me, for a time
When the good went bad, I went straight out of my mind, my love she was good to me, for a time, yes she was

Them pines trees are trembling all around, pine trees are trembling all around
It's tough to get this shovel into the frozen ground, pine trees are trembling all around

Iron By Water album lyrics