built to fly
when the new year came
i didn't even note
what a miracle it's been
i let it wander these days
weigh the whole thing up
like it didn't just begin

i just can't stop myself from pretending
i can't turn down the anticipation inside

but even when i soar
unrestrained up high
i feel it in my bones
i wasn't built to fly
as quickly as it comes
it rushes from my grasp
forcing me to trace the breadcrumbs back

felt like a relic of late
i've got a petty fear
for the neighborhood to change
(and it changes all the time)
and if i've been lashing out
let it be known
i couldn't make it on my own
(i couldn't be alone)

chorus

city lights
sunday morning
so the welcoming party never showed
now i've been staring
at the window shades and doors below

you make me feel at home for a little while
make me feel less alone for a little while
if i could reach you all just a little while
i wouldn't even know where to begin

this apprehension
like i've been sleeping while the city called
at two in the morning
i'm drawn to the warmth behind these frowning walls

chorus

if i could take you home for a little while
make you feel less alone for a little while
if i could reach you all just a little while
i wouldn't even know where to begin

disconnected
lately i've been wondering
if we're making this up as we go along
for all our caution and optimistic reason
i must admit my footing ain't too strong

it's like every line i thought i spun
gets disconnected
like every safety-net i had

and when i give it up to you
there's only static coming through
did you get disconnected too

are you sleeping
seems the nights got longer
since we took it on ourselves to find our feet
are you breathing
i know the air gets thicker each day
and it isn't likely to get much better here

chorus

or are you leaning in to say
when everything is stripped away
it's just a burden less to shake
like a reminder thrown my way

lately i've been wondering
are you making this up as you go along

sentimental songs don't last
don't get excited
no one ever promised you
the sparkle from the box would last
and i'm sure i saw you glance up
when all the new arrivals passed

i do remember
living off my best behavior
no revert to alibis
wish you could've been there
to lighten up when i came by

well here she goes
straight ahead and don't look back
yeah here she goes again

it's not that i don't care
don't get the wrong impression
settling is always hard
and lately i've had a knack for bad judgment

what if i'd come up to you in advance
filling you in
showing my hand
this ain't the first time
won't be the last time i walk away

well here she goes
straight ahead and don't look back
yeah here she goes
and we both know she'll never last
cause good intentions never last
like sentimental songs don't last

so give me something that will last
cause i'm running out

meager days
hey girl what are you thinking of
seems like you've been living on a cloud
that drifted in from brighter parts
then gradually turned black and poured you out

wish i could say in all this time
i'd learned enough to help you shrug it off
but i can't tell left from right sometimes
and i may just as well have wandered off

do you know that i lie awake
when you start closing up
sometimes you're the only one i love

hey girl do you get envious
does everyone around appear to gloat
it's hard to stay impervious
to all the shit they're sneaking down your throat

do you know this dream that i have
one day we'll end up alone
in some insatiable consumer-friendly place
and every bite-size portion falling from the sky
will seem to laugh in our face

and do you know i lie awake
when you start closing up
cause sometimes you’re the only one i love
my heart may be a small support
to hold in meager days
but i'll let you have it all
and it just might be enough

good things happen in slow motion
here you are
and there's nothing to hear and nothing to see
just this chill
creeping away so gradually
like the rain
dabbing the world with a haze of green
so clichéd

i always knew you would be coming
i guess at some point i stopped waiting
you take forever to approach me
but then you light up all around me

snow-white sun
seeping through the atmosphere
trademark smile
no mistake i'm alright here
neon shine
piercing through the underbrush
hurts my eyes

chorus

just my luck
overslept and unconcerned
easy goes
never learned to wait my turn
won't be long
before i go on and forget
but no regrets

4.15 to amsterdam
four fifteen no crowds and no delays
rolling off it's days like these
i hope i never learn to drive
staring at a cotton candy sky
thinking it's taken awhile
before the last strings came undone

i have to say you took me by surprise
i'm still a little shaken by the vigor in your bite
i hope you'll try and let it go someday
i'm pretty sure you've had about as much as you can take

i hardly caught the window turning black
and my reflection staring back at me
mysteriously still
for all of these uncertainties of late
i can't help feeling that i'll find my place
somewhere along the rail

chorus

and you should just be happy we're okay

strange affiliation
i haven't thought about you for awhile
that's something i'll admit
and i don't recall the last chat we had
most of those don't really stick
but i realize what you're up against
even if it doesn't show
i've only just discovered
bruises never go
and it's a strange affiliation we have
as you may already know

i know you spend a lot of time alone
deliberating things with god
and i hope he throws a line sometime
and points out all the things that you got
but the longer you keep waiting
and averting your eyes
the more you dim the lights
on what you leave behind
i guess there's no avoiding the stuff
he poured down our veins

so now you've got me up at night
and i hope you're making out alright
if you'll give me a moment to catch my breath
i know a friend is hard to find
is this something you've always known
the bitterest pills are meant to swallow alone
it's not that big a deal i guess
just brings us down with all the rest

pins and needles
i wanted you to know
in case you weren't sure
i ain't going anywhere
(still faithfully pinned down)
i need you here with me
to narrate all i see
and freshen up my air
(breathe in when you breathe out)

i find myself adrift along the years sometimes
(pulling the days apart)
to shake the pins and needles
that have been wearing me away

till something comes over me
shaking me wide awake
cause i've been staring at a void where something is supposed to be
i need you to lean in close
to cover my freezing skin
and promise me there's something underneath

i've given you my heart
to carry like your own
as i hope you still recall
(or has it been too long)
if something's broken down
i trust you'll let me know
cause lately i've been wondering if it beat at all
(too much to drag along)

i found myself adrift along the years again
(pulling the days apart)
to shake the pins and needles
that have been wearing me away

chorus

even as you call my name
i'm falling fast asleep
if i stay out for awhile
i pray my soul to keep

under the radar
found yourself the perfect little hide-out
where no-one has intruded all these years
you think you got yourself under the radar
then you completely disappear

for all your righteous ambitions
you build a pretty alarming shell
why'd you offer a bargain
if you weren't planning to sell

don't you think for once you should get out here
wear some polish off your shoes
don't you think by now it should be different
you know you've got it all to lose

found yourself the perfect little hide-out
where all the invitees take up their parts
girls with innate smiles and distant gazes
and noble boys with broken hearts

with all the friends you assembled
you seem determined to stay alone
are you afraid they'll remember
the promise you've shown

chorus

don't save up for a sunny day
it's gonna be a lovely day
i'm gonna make this work
we'll only have ourselves to blame
if we don't get all we're worth
it's not gonna rain today
not if we have our say
and we'll speak up loud

i'm gonna get myself a job
gonna pay off my debt
roll up my sleeves and toil about
honest to god i'll sweat
that's what i came here for
i know what you have in store
and i'll take you on

now every drop that falls from the venomous sky
pushes me on to give it one more try
but all along there's a panic inside
i can't contain this

it's gonna be a lovely day
in spite of everything
so what if we got washed away
and ended up sleeping in
there's no way to screw this up
nothing to change our luck
and i'm still aiming high

when every drop that falls from the venomous sky
pushes me on to give it one last try
all along there's a panic inside
i can't contain this
and every drop that fell from my blistering face
sank in the ground and never left a trace
imagine my relief when you took over the place
i can't contain this

don't save up for a sunny day
 

come outside
when i call
do you brace yourself
crawl into your shell
force me to slow down
i don't know
could you be afraid
are you overpaid
just tired of reaching down

i don't mean
to wallow in my doubt
just cause i'm let down
doesn't mean i'm blind
but i've been here
a hundred times before
scratching at your door
when will you come outside

when i stand
up against the wind
so easily singed
i let it take me down
does it bring
you into my thoughts
do you call the shots
or let me fool around

chorus

i have a hard time explaining myself
last time i followed the crumbs
that led to your den
i found you alone
i could have stared at your shadow for hours on end

maybe i'm easily swayed
and i should have known
you wouldn't come home
i have a hard time explaining myself to my friends

i have been trying to reach you for days
are you deserted in numerous ways
what can i do

if there is a record that stands in our way
i would be happy to have it erased
how about you

dead ends
i don't remember awaking
or falling apart when i looked up from the floor
as far as i know i've been moving
at a continuous pace so far

i don't mean to sound condescending
or question the goodwill slapped across my face
my heart isn't made out of granite and it easily breaks
but a beat always remains

cause when the sky clears up
at the end of the day
laying out every dead end
i know i'll never lose my way

like a feeling that stuck
from a dream i forgot
i can't seem to shake it off
i know you've always called my name

i've had a shot at complying
but it takes me a while to find my place
and sometimes i wonder
if i should be trying at all in this light

it just doesn't seem gratifying
fighting off shadows armed to the teeth
i can't always make out the rules
but i'm picking up hints of the marvel that lies underneath

chorus

1996
in a couple of years
i'll be scuffing the sidewalk
humming something that captured my ear
and i'll catch a glimpse of your face
coming up out of nowhere
and remember the way it lit me up
and you'll be a thousand miles off
but i'm sure you'd agree
that was a pretty good year

in a few days from now
i'll be packing up lightly
getting rid of the weight that slows me down
heading straight for the sun
casting shadows behind me
blocking out all i used to know
i'll thank you for letting me go
i was never alone

i've been telling myself
that the sky will get brighter
sometimes that's something i need to hear
as i wander along
and the colors start fading
sometimes i wait for the sparks to reappear
they don't come around much these days
but one thing's still clear
that was a pretty good year

hindsight
funny how my mind works
it erases entire ages
but it saved what you were wearing when we met
and i remember your account of
growing up inside a movie
and my annoyance at your half-smoked cigarettes

you set me ablaze just for a second
and snuffed me out before i got your name
i never got the hang of turning blind eyes
but you left a mean impression just the same

if there was some connection
between my heart and my endurance
i might have found the courage to stay
so i tell myself in hindsight
that you were pretty hard to save
it's like you set the place on fire
so we could watch you burn away

i don't know how you managed
to get us wrapped around your finger
but i wonder if it ever wore you out
and i hardly have a memory
of finally stealing my fifteen minutes
but i'm sure i've got no reason to be proud

chorus

help is on the way
we haven't been here before
i'm pretty convinced of that now
though the scenery's quite deceiving
there's still a sway in my step
and there's still a light on my path
though it's strangely unfamiliar

and i'll let you know
i don't have a clue what to think
cause the wider i spread my wings
the more i drift away
and it troubles me these days
while i never had a doubt
it's getting harder to believe
that help is on the way

she hasn't been herself
since the world allowed her in
without making arrangements
she's been told to brighten up
but it's impossible to shine
when your heart's been painted black

and in time
i guess we'll see the gain
that shimmered underneath
unless it's just bad luck
i'm telling you it's hard
to tell the two apart
like it gets harder to believe
that help is on the way

i may have seen your face
mirrored in her eyes when i woke this morning
and i might have heard your voice
whispering to me
if you don't know what you're waiting for
hold tight

cause one of these days you'll know
the deeper you descend
the closer you will be
to finding your release
there's not a load so heavy
it'll sweep you off your feet
before you're notified
that help is on the way

see you around
do you remember when it was
it seems like a different lifetime
you said the day would never end
in a manner of speaking
i know you'd never let me down
but it was different then

so i try to find my way
and i try to keep my head down
and focus on the road ahead
but every time i let my guard dow
n i forget my lines completely
and i couldn't care less

but yeah, i'll see you around

(i've been waiting all my life
and i miss you all the time
i'll always be alone
until you come and take me home)

do you ever stop to see
the way i blend in with a crowd
sometimes i fear i'll disappear
but i know inside my heart
that i'd rather spend a day with you
than a thousand more here

chorus

when did you decide
that you'd let me on my way
that you'd trust me to move on
and never turn my head away
when did you decide
that you'd never let me go
will you ever change your mind
if i never reach my goal

back by midnight
i'll let you in on something
you may have noticed by now
i don't object to seclusion
or let misgivings grind me down
but there's a turmoil this evening
it's been lingering since you left
found its way inside my bones
and now it's heating up the rest

i've been known to keep myself composed
or that's what i've always supposed
but i'm not so sure today
if you could see all the stuff i kept inside
the flesh may sleep but i'm alive
in spirit anyway

i've been talking to jesus
my fingers tightly crossed
so if he's not on call this evening
at least i might restrict the loss
it wouldn't be the first time
that i've been put to shame
i don't make any illusions
but it's hard to drop the reins

chorus

i hope tonight you'll make your way back here
sometimes you're everything that i hold dear
i hope you'll be back by midnight
i hope you'll be home soon

closer
i've looked at you
talking things through
waving your hands
like you know what to do
and i've been amazed
is that what i look like to you

do you recall
defying the night
roaming the town
for a drink and some life
what would you say
the investments added up to

sometimes i'm caught off guard
and it strikes me how much just fades away
what are we building up
if it's all just a phase anyway

i don't believe
i'm stuck in the past
raking up stories
and wishing they'd last
but honestly
i don't examine myself much at all

i might have thought
you get to a point
where everything figures
and loose ends are joined
and when we're alone
a fleeting glance might be enough

but you don't need to lie to me
we don't need to varnish this
it's true, i barely know myself
so how could i understand you

and sometimes i'm caught off guard
and for a second it all falls into place
and i'll be reminded that
i love you as much as i do
though i never get closer to you

september
there's no escaping the water
it draws me up this time of year
like anything i notice these days
just takes me away

it's like i've been out for ages
i wish i had more memories here
wearing off the buzz in my head
to stop me thinking of you

it's alright
i'll wake up
you never get a chance to dream
if you're never banged up
just like you never find a reason to kneel
if you don't ever mess up

i've been wasting the morning
musing on the time that passes
and trying to define what it is
that keeps me turning away

and while the summer collapses
blowing out its final breaths
i'm still dying to see you
some days

chorus

come october i'm hoping everything will be fine
i'm not trying to break your heart
just a couple more days
i'll stop wasting my time

light-years to kill
if you got the chance to return
would you rebuild all the bridges you burned
where would you be my love
where would you be

when will you figure it out
there's no such thing as a trouble-free route
hold on to me my love
hold on to me

if i went out chasing your heart
wouldl i be destined to fail from the start
would you receive my love
could you believe

shuffle along as you will
i've got a thick skin and light-years to kill
it never sleeps my love
it never sleeps