[Verse 1] I came back with a duffel bag And dirt on my boots A hymn in my head And a hundred bad truths They sent me off a boy Sent me home a shell But something in that fire Didn't leave with me as well [Pre-Chorus] Now it paces in my chest at night With a grin I don't know It knows my old weak points It knows just where to go [Chorus] I got a monster in a cage Rattlin' these bones War made him in the dark Now I keep him from my home I lock the gate, I bite my tongue I pray he stays low I got a monster in a cage And I can't let him go [Verse 2] He wakes up when a backfire pops Or a siren moans by He sees red in a parking lot And he's quick to rise My girl leaves a plate on the stove Keeps her eyes on me Like love can hold a chain On what she can't quite see [Pre-Chorus] I wear Sunday clothes on Sunday Smile for the crowd But that old wolf in my ribs Still wants out [Chorus] I got a monster in a cage Rattlin' these bones War made him in the dark Now I keep him from my home I lock the gate, I bite my tongue I pray he stays low I got a monster in a cage And I can't let him go [Bridge] Sometimes I hear him call my name From the back room door Sounds like all them lonely nights Comin' back for more So I kneel down on the kitchen floor Grip that prayer real tight Ask the Lord to keep my hands From losin' that fight [Final Chorus] I got a monster in a cage Rattlin' these bones War made him in the dark Now I keep him from my home I lock the gate, I bite my tongue I pray he stays low I got a monster in a cage And I can't let him go
