They sell a slip of paper, call it freedom for the night Hand you colors that smear before they ever touch the light The floodlights cough and fade down the midway strip Benches drowned in puddles where the fireworks slipped I’m chasing highs like old headlines Folded thin in a winter coat Every promise comes back expired Got a ticket to nowhere And it won’t get me home Still waiting for the gates to open, though I know they never will. I keep feeding every turnstile, like the habit makes me still. A ticket to nowhere— and I’m buying it still. The carousel waits but refuses to turn, Horses stand frozen, their eyes never burn. Each second repeats like a reel that won’t play, I’m stuck in the moment that won’t slip away. I scrape my name into the rail with a nail, Cotton candy stand rotting and torn like old pain I’m chasing highs like old headlines Folded thin in a winter coat Every promise comes back expired Got a ticket to nowhere And it won’t get me home Every step back feels like a trap I know, The park won’t let me leave, but I won’t go The ticket booth breathes mildew and rain, I see myself in every broken ride and empty stage Still waiting for the gates to open, though I know they never will. I keep feeding every turnstile, like the habit makes me still. A ticket to nowhere— and I’m buying it still.
