[Verse 1] Door one, stamp still wet The bass punches the sternum I laugh on the offbeat So the shaking ain’t confirmed Lungs doing double-dutch Over a puddle of gin Smile at the stranger Like I invited the spin Left pocket’s grief folded small Till the fold is the logic He toasts a ghost in the bathroom mirror Playing “Toxic” Right one’s eyes do the exit count Calls it people watching bullshit It’s butterflies with their boots on Marching We ditch the first joint When the room gets judicial Brunswick Street gospel Sweaty and unofficial [Pre-Chorus] Short rack of honesty Under the ugly light Three mouths, one match And the match is the night Anxiety lapping a rental-car chest Depression in the back seat Won’t click the belt [Chorus] Charlie, Charlie, shortcut with a cover charge Charlie, Charlie, lightning with a surcharge Three-man bar crawl, hearts doing the horserace Rent a little heaven, pay it back in the vertebrae Charlie, Charlie, knock-knock in the ribcage Nobody home but the same old rage Fuck the pretty exit, we ain’t cashing in We hit the next doorway with our teeth on the wind [Verse 2] Club two, citrus cologne And a bad decision’s perfume Strobe slices the crowd Into silver shaking costume Copper on my tongue Cheap lime and a lie I keep chewing Group chat’s a graveyard And I’m still in it, still viewing Left says the quiet got molars It chews when he sits Right says the bed is a verdict And he never acquits I say the high is a taxi That knows every back street Charges you double just to dump you On the same damn concrete Rope-line wrist stamps blooming mean as bruises Hunting Charlie in the rooms that the night uses [Pre-Chorus] Chest is a kicked hive Wings in the wiring Head is a wet siren Nobody’s hiring Hands won’t stop tapping Like the dark might expire Short rack, long crash Same three, same fire The chase is the symptom In party shoes Charlie ain’t post-punk, new wave, gothic rock, alternative rock Charlie’s the excuse [Chorus] Charlie, Charlie, shortcut with a cover charge Charlie, Charlie, lightning with a surcharge Three-man bar crawl, hearts doing the horserace Rent a little heaven, pay it back in the vertebrae Charlie, Charlie, knock-knock in the ribcage Nobody home but the same old rage Fuck the pretty exit, we ain’t cashing in We hit the next doorway with our teeth on the wind [Bridge] Grief in the cup like a name we won’t toast Hunger doing cartwheels in a borrowed coat Mirror shows a version one bad hour from leaving We don’t feed it a method We drag it out breathing Survival’s an ugly verb Stand, swear, order water Text the group: “Outside, mean it Don’t let me falter” Brisbane holds a grudge In the heat of our skin We hold each other harder We stay in We stay in [Final Chorus] Charlie, Charlie, shortcut with a cover charge Charlie, Charlie, lightning with a surcharge Three-man bar crawl, hearts doing the horserace Rent a little heaven, pay it back in the vertebrae Charlie, Charlie, knock-knock in the ribcage Nobody home but the same old rage Fuck the pretty exit, we ain’t cashing in We hit the next doorway with our teeth on the wind [Outro] Winking shoes, wrecked dawn looking pricey Jaws unclench slow like the city got nicer Charlie, you’re a spark, not a map, not a friend We keep walking toward morning We keep walking again
