[Verse 1] Born in a jar Breathing through glass Daddy’s white coat Jotted down facts “Subject responds” Never said “son” Fluorescent mornings Always on the run [Verse 2] Gotham outside Buzzing like a hive He saw them laughing All so alive Pressed his hand To that cold clear pane Dreamed of a stranger Saying his name [Chorus] Preston Payne Clay and cracked hands Trying to touch What he don’t understand Reach for a heart It all melts away He just wanted to hold someone But he’s made of clay [Verse 3] Cure in a syringe Hope in a vein Science in a hurry Didn’t feel his pain Fever hit hard Body went wrong Every soft heartbeat Started beating too strong [Pre-Chorus] He wraps those rags Like a second skin Whispers “I’m sorry” Before he walks in [Chorus] Preston Payne Clay and cracked hands Trying to touch What he don’t understand Reach for a heart It all melts away He just wanted to hold someone But he’s made of clay [Bridge] There’s a girl in a photo Pinned on his wall Smiling forever Never will fall He dances alone In a dim motel room (oh) Soft on his feet Like he’s made of broomstraw Not doom [Breakdown] [Banjo kicks into a crooked-time run Fiddle and mandolin trade short Tense phrases over a circling bass line Drums drop to rim-clicks before snapping back in on the downbeat] [Verse 4] Dark Knight finds him On a rusted pier Wind off the water Cuts through the fear “I don’t want trouble I just want rest” Clay on the railing Heart in his chest [Chorus] Preston Payne Clay and cracked hands Trying to touch What he don’t understand Reach for a heart It all melts away He just wanted to hold someone But he’s made of clay [Outro] So they tell his story Soft in the rain Monster in the headlines Man in the pain High lonesome echo Fades in the grain Pickin’ that sorrow For Preston Payne
