[Verse 1] You drew the map on a paper plate With the fork still stuck through the state I took the road that bent like a nail Past the feed store and the rusted scale [Pre-Chorus] You said, “Keep your balance, keep your name” Then moved the floorboards all the same [Chorus] Crooked, crooked, every line we drew Every little promise leaning out of true You hold the ruler, I hold the door We make a shape that fits no more Crooked, crooked, tell me what is straight When the hinges lift and the walls all skate [Verse 2] Your coffee cooled beside the sink You left one note in disappearing ink I found your keys in the flour tin And heard the old clock miss again [Pre-Chorus] You said, “The fault is in the frame” I watched you leave and take the blame [Chorus] Crooked, crooked, every line we drew Every little promise leaning out of true You hold the ruler, I hold the door We make a shape that fits no more Crooked, crooked, tell me what is straight When the hinges lift and the walls all skate [Bridge] Maybe the table was built that way Maybe the house just learned to sway I kept one chair where you used to sit Not for your return—just the stubbornness of it [Final Chorus] Crooked, crooked, every line we drew Every little promise leaning out of true You hold the ruler, I hold the door We make a shape that fits no more Crooked, crooked, now the room is still One bent nail left in the windowsill [Outro] One bent nail One quiet room
