[Intro — atmospheric instrumental, distant guitar, low industrial hum] [Verse 1 — deep, intimate vocal; minimal instrumentation] I learned to sleep with my shoes on Kept a few dollars under the bed Orange light bleeding through the blinds Like the whole damn block was holding its breath Sirens cut the summer open Broken glass shining in the sink Seventeen and counting exits Too young to know what freedom means [Pre-Chorus — tension building, drums beginning underneath] I swore I’d never say your name Never give you anything again Funny how the further I ran The deeper you got under my skin [Chorus — huge melodic vocal, full drums and guitars] You made a house fire out of me I learned to burn before I learned to leave Took your smoke into my lungs Now every room smells like where I’m from I got out, yeah that’s true Yet every road away still leads me back to you I can change the locks, I can change the view Yeah I might have left the house But the house never left me too [Verse 2 — bass-heavy, restrained vocal] I traded rust for hotel ceilings Neon names and foreign rooms Thousands screaming words I wrote About a place they never knew Everybody calls it leaving Like the distance makes you clean But sometimes I still taste the metal When the air gets hard to breathe [Pre-Chorus — stronger build] I swore I’d never turn around Never let you see what I became But every time they sing it back I hear you underneath my name [Chorus — full, anthemic] You made a house fire out of me I learned to burn before I learned to leave Took your smoke into my lungs Now every room I touch smells like where I’m from I got out, yeah that’s true Yet every road away still leads me back to you I can change the locks, I can change the view Yeah I might have left the house But the house never left me too [Bridge — pull instrumentation back; vulnerable, haunting] There was something good beneath those streetlights Something I still won’t name Not every memory came back bleeding Not every spark became a flame So maybe I don’t hate you Maybe that’s the hardest truth You gave me every reason to run And everything I ran into [Breakdown — heavy industrial percussion, distorted bass, low aggressive vocal] I changed my name Changed my skin Built a life you couldn’t get in Crossed every line Cut every tie Still see your glow when I close my eyes [brief silence] I LEFT THE HOUSE [heavy impact] THE HOUSE NEVER LEFT ME [Final Chorus — biggest section, soaring and emotional] You made a house fire out of me I learned to burn before I learned to leave Took your smoke into my lungs Now every room I touch smells like where I’m from I got out, but you came too Every road away still leads me back to you I changed the locks, I changed the view Built a whole life you never knew [Outro — stripped back, but keep a steady pulse] Maybe leaving was the easy part Maybe distance couldn’t kill the dark I don’t miss the house, I don’t miss those walls I miss the boy who thought he’d outrun it all [Final Refrain — quiet, haunting] I left the house But you came too.
