[Intro: Fast horn section, upbeat ska drum beat, walking bass] [Verse 1: Rapid-fire delivery, syllable-dense, conversational but heavy] I’ve been sitting on the front porch staring at the driveway waiting for a car that’s never going to pull in again And the hardest part of waking up is that split second where everything is fine before the memory kicks my teeth right in They tell you time is a healer but they never mention the part where time just drags you by the collar across the concrete I’m wearing his old jacket like it’s some kind of armor but it’s three sizes too big and just smells like old tobacco and defeat I always thought he had the answers but now I'm realizing he was just making it up as he went along to keep us safe [Pre-Chorus: Guitar upstrokes, bouncy rhythm] And the clock ticks on! (Yeah the clock ticks on!) In this quiet house! (In this quiet house!) The world didn’t stop for a single second but my universe is buried in the ground! [Chorus: Explosive energy, massive horns, gang vocals. Rhyming starts here] So I'm drinking to the memory of a man who never quit! Trying to carry all the heavy things but I am sick of it! Yeah the rent is due and I'm losing sleep and nothing makes sense anymore! But I'll keep putting one foot forward 'cause that’s what he raised me for! [Instrumental: Fast Skanking Guitar & Brass Section interplay] [Verse 2: Rapid-fire delivery, syllable-dense, cynical realism] I got a stack of unpaid bills sitting right next to the sympathy cards and I don’t know which one makes me want to scream more It’s a hilarious tragedy how the real world doesn’t care about the hole in your chest when the first of the month comes knocking at the door I remember him working thirty years straight just to pay off a mortgage on a house that always felt a little too cold Now I’m running in the exact same hamster wheel wondering if this is all there is to look forward to until I get old But I guess complaining won't pay the electricity so I'll just swallow the dirt and pretend I know what I'm doing [Pre-Chorus: Guitar upstrokes, bouncy rhythm] And the clock ticks on! (Yeah the clock ticks on!) In this quiet house! (In this quiet house!) The world didn’t stop for a single second but my universe is buried in the ground! [Chorus: Explosive energy, massive horns, gang vocals. Rhyming starts here] So I'm drinking to the memory of a man who never quit! Trying to carry all the heavy things but I am sick of it! Yeah the rent is due and I'm losing sleep and nothing makes sense anymore! But I'll keep putting one foot forward 'cause that’s what he raised me for! [Bridge: Breakdown, slow walking bass, rim clicks, building up tension] I never asked him if he was scared of the dark... I just assumed he knew where all the light switches were... But now I'm stumbling around the hallway blind... Realizing he was probably just as terrified as I am right now. [Guitar & Saxophone Solo: Very fast, chaotic, energetic] [Chorus: Maximum energy, gang vocals in background] So I'm drinking to the memory of a man who never quit! Trying to carry all the heavy things but I am sick of it! Yeah the rent is due and I'm losing sleep and nothing makes sense anymore! But I'll keep putting one foot forward 'cause that’s what he raised me for! [Outro: Horns blazing, chaotic energy, gang vocals] Who never quit! Sick of it! Raised me for! [End]
