West Virginia

No family like ours came before

I swear we just love each other more

Even when you’re gone

Still with us in our souls

Warmth spreads through our hearts

Even when it’s cold

And it’s been cold here for a little while

But at least I got to see you smile

*In West Virginia

Don’t you get away from me

In West Virginia

I miss my family

And in West Virginia

I can’t wait to see ya

And say things I never say

I wanna spend every day

With ya

In West Virginia_

Sweet summer heat

And holidays that I spent actually happy

October sky never shined so bright

Because you were with me

I could say a story of how we are

But telling you where I come from

Would be too hard

Too many stories

In our family tree

And too much family

Within the community

*In West Virginia

Don’t you get away from me

In West Virginia

I miss my family

And in West Virginia

I can’t wait to see ya

And say things I never say

I wanna spend every day

With ya

In West Virginia_

I know we were always there

I know you were always where

I couldn’t reach ya

And I only saw the good sides

And the great nights

Of West Virginia

Love for the ages

Love through the generations

And we’re connected by the ties of love

Not just the ties of blood

*In West Virginia

Don’t you get away from me

In West Virginia

I miss my family

And in West Virginia

I can’t wait to see ya

And say things I never say

I wanna spend every day

With ya

In West Virginia_

How To Run

When I die

I don’t want a casket of regrets

I’ll be fine

Just hand me back my secrets

How is that you know me better

Than the people I’ve known forever?

*I say, baby, lately,

I’m so sick of this

I need to get away

Go far

I want to know who you are

And you’ll see

This is me_

Never known where I stand

No matter how hard I try

Temporary’s my life

And I’d like to have time

For a little white wine

But that’s not what I’ll remember

When I die

*You say, maybe maybe

A house, picket fence

Couple of cute kids

I say, no way

I need a plane

A car and no money

Broke, but free

That is me_

I’ve been dreaming of the day

I leave this town

Since I was eight years old

And I need to go now

*They say, “You love the way he,

Laughs, smiles, moves, talks,

And he’s everything you want.”

And he said, “Marry me please.”

But that’s not me

Oh, oh, that’s not me_

I was thinking maybe you’d come

And if I know anything it’s how to run

If I were to take someone with me

You’d be the only one

So run, run with me

So run, run with me

Think of what we’ll see

Run, run with me

Come, come to me       (He said, “Marry me please.”)

Run, run with me          (But that’s not me)

Run, run with me          (I wish it was me)

Just run, run with me

When I die

I wanna leave someone

Who knows how to run

Poison

I can’t stand the poison

Burning through my veins

I can’t stand the pain

But just give me a reason to stay

I can’t stand your love

It just hurts too much

And the poison will stay

My vision will gray

And you face will gaze

As I fall into the poison haze

I know I need

To get out now

But it’s just not easy

And I don’t know how

I can’t stand your love

It just hurts too much

And the poison will stay

My vision will gray

And you face will gaze

As I fall into the poison haze

And why can’t I just go away

‘Cause I can’t stand the pain

I can’t wake from this nightmare

It’s only right when I’m asleep

I’ll settle for a little less than fair

But, my poison, I will keep

I can’t stand your love

It just hurts too much

And the poison will stay

My vision will gray

And you face will gaze

As I fall into the poison haze

I can’t stand your love

It just hurts too much

And the poison will stay

My vision will gray

And you face will gaze

As I fall into the poison haze

I can’t stand your pain or poison

I was just a toy, then

I can feel your poison

Through my veins, intent to destroy them

I can feel my poison

Ice Cold

Tonight, until forever

You’ll be alone

I deleted you number

From my phone

What’s next?

What comes after all I had left?

Ripped my sanity away

But even then I was okay

It wasn’t the break-up

It was the wake-up

Don’t worry, baby, I’m not sleeping

Anymore

*Maybe I’m new and you

You’re old, but it feels like

I was told, “Hey honey,

Hey baby, why don’t you go on,

And make me?” I’ll make you

Regret it and I’ll send it to your friends

And I’ll make sure it’s ice cold

When I serve you my revenge_

That second chance

When you had me back

And I saw you two sit

Sharing coke and swapping spit

Well I’m not the girl you get to have

And you don’t even get one last dance

Don’t worry, baby, I’m not sleeping

Anymore

*Maybe I’m new and you

You’re old, but it feels like

I was told, “Hey honey,

Hey baby, why don’t you go on,

And make me?” I’ll make you

Regret it and I’ll send it to your friends

And I’ll make sure it’s ice cold

When I serve you my revenge_

I hate the way you saw me stare

And your arrogant smile, a hand through your hair

No you’re not worth tears, or even blame

And I bet that girl doesn’t know your name

I guess this will be your claim to fame

You cheated on me, oh what a shame

*Maybe I’m new and you

You’re old, but it feels like

I was told, “Hey honey,

Hey baby, why don’t you go on,

And make me?” I’ll make you

Regret it and I’ll send it to your friends

And I’ll make sure it’s ice cold

I’ll make sure it’s ice cold

I’ll make sure it’s ice cold

When I serve you my revenge_

I Can't Stop

When you look at me

Something clicks down

Like we’re soulmates, yeah

And I never think like that

*I can’t stop, I can’t stop

Is everything okay?

I can’t stop, I can’t stop

With every breath you take

I can’t stop, I can’t stop

Looking at you_

It takes a couple tries

But I pry away from your eyes

Desperately, can you feel me

Swelling at stopping

All my breathing

Do you feel me, do you see me

*I can’t stop, I can’t stop

Is everything okay?

I can’t stop, I can’t stop

With every breath you take

I can’t stop, I can’t stop

Looking at you_

You. Draw. Near.

I. Can’t. Hear

Closing my eyes

Trusting it will be fine

*I can’t stop, I can’t stop

Is everything okay?

I can’t stop, I can’t stop

With every breath you take

I can’t stop, I can’t stop

Looking at you

I can’t stop, oh oh oh

I can’t stop

Looking at you_

A Rainy Monday

You know what?

I saw you

Ran into you actually

It wasn’t that bad

I just started crying

And I felt so bad for your date

But I couldn’t wait

I bet you’re wondering

How I knew you were sitting behind me

I heard you laugh at the funny parts

And I knew that sound by heart

Don’t you think you would’ve done the same to me

Don’t you think you shouldn’t have talked to me

*’Cause it’s a rainy Monday

And life so great

I bet you went on another date

But wait

It’s a rainy Monday

I guess the weather read my mind

And heard too that you left me behind_

I don’t blame you for moving on

In fact I’ve done a little bit of that

But it just felt so wrong

When I heard you yelling at my back

‘Cause I walked away

I didn’t want you to see my face

Yeah I walked away

I stopped walking eventually.

*’Cause it’s a rainy Monday

And life so great

I bet you went on another date

But wait

It’s a rainy Monday

I guess the weather read my mind

And heard too that you left me behind_

And things are so messed up right now

Wish you could come home somehow

I know your mom

Came to drop you off

I just wanted to say

*It’s a rainy Monday

And life ain’t great

I just had so much to say

Too late

It’s a rainy Monday

I guess the weather read my mind

And heard you were

And heard you were

And heard you were left behind_

What Stood Before

Running through the red lights down the road
‘Cause I need to get farther from here, you know
That’s alright, it’s just a beacon in the sky
Just a long white candle in a window
A character in a long-forgotten show
An ocean of separation between the cities
Or the strangely shaped strangers who will miss me
But it’s time for me to go, must get home before the train leaves
Before the milk and sugar contaminate my coffee

Levees break but they sever more
Can we rebuild what stood before?
The trees and leaves sink to the ocean floor
Can we rebuild what stood before?

Water fills my wake and sleep
Books, half-baked, they smell of history
But history and mystery wash down an invisible drain
Because history will only discover the remains
And this morning doesn’t deserve a dawn
And none of us deserve to yawn
Or live, or love, or even die, too
Because I would still give my chances all to you

Levees break but they sever more
Can we rebuild what stood before?
The trees and leaves sink to the ocean floor
Can we rebuild what stood before?

Well I’ll never be able to go back to
The world I knew before I had you
But people change and people leave
People die, and then people grieve
History will only discover the remains
And history will never even know your name

Levees break but they sever more
Can we rebuild what stood before?
The trees and leaves sink to the ocean floor
Can we rebuild what stood before?

After all these years it just goes to show
I’ll never burn out the candle in the window

Did You Mean It?

I can see the dark skies
Brimming with your lies
Weightless, maybe I’ll fly
If this is goodbye

Now I’m waiting by the phone…
And remembering that fight
And you’re crying all alone…
Wanting me at night
I told you what I needed, what I wanted
And you were all, you were all
But you told me to spread my wings
And then you let me fall

*But I can’t hear your screams
You can’t see these tears
You were everything to me
For three damn years
But I can’t hear your pleas
Or take away your fears
It’s time to set free
The times you held me near__

Maybe I wasn’t right, no
Maybe you’ll get better, oh
But then again, I need some things
From the very man, who once told me
That I was everything, that you loved me—
But did you mean it?
I don’t think you meant anything you said

Now I’m waiting by the phone…
And remembering that fight
And you’re crying all alone…
Wanting me at night
I told you what I needed, what I wanted
And you were all, you were all
But you told me to spread my wings
And then you let me fall, then you let me fall

*But I can’t hear your screams
You can’t see these tears
You were everything to me
For three damn years
But I can’t hear your pleas
Or take away your fears
It’s time to set free
The times you held me near__

And I hope the light faded
By the early morning sun
This wasn’t time wasted
Even though you’re not ‘the one’
‘Cause I hope we can forget the
Fights we had
And I hope that you’ll remember me
Someday and be glad

But for now—
There’s just one thing
Remember how
You said some things
Just answer this
When you said
“I love you”
Did you mean it?
Did you mean it?
Did you mean it?

*But I can’t hear your screams
You can’t see these tears
You were everything to me
For three damn years
But I can’t hear your pleas
Or take away your fears
It’s time to set free
The times you held me near__

The times
You held
Me
Near

Eric (Or Jed)

Eric, or Jed
I still remember what you said
So quiet, tentative
Almost like you’re scared
Or nervous, please
Who’d be nervous around me?

*But when we kissed
Electricity across our lips
When your hands, you’re so shy
But I know not to waste our time
I need your arms around me
I want your voice to sound, we
You touched me
And I saw you clearly_

You hugged me like
You never wanted to let me go
Oh, just to let me know
That you were all in, all in
Oh, just to let you know
I never wanted you to
Let me go

*But when we kissed
Electricity across our lips
When your hands, you’re so shy
But I know not to waste our time
I need your arms around me
I want your voice to sound, we
You touched me
And I saw you clearly_

Eric, or Jed
I still remember what you said
I still remember what you mean
Spoke so much with what you didn’t say
And I will always remember that fateful day

*But when we kissed
Electricity across our lips
When your hands, you’re so shy
But I know not to waste our time
I need your arms around me
I want your voice to sound, we
You touched me
And I saw you clearly_

The Dirt Behind the Filth

Personality don’t affect the soul
But the soul is whole, but the soul is whole
Can you feel the previous people,
Are they dead?
Are they still rolling around in your head?

*The dirt behind the filth
And the filth behind the dirt
Did you really mean to say those things
Just to make it hurt?

The dirt behind the filth
And the filth behind the dirt
Did you really mean to say those things
Just to make it hurt?_

See yourself in everyone else
But no one sees the real you
A hallway of unfamiliar faces
They don’t know that they’re new

*The dirt behind the filth
And the filth behind the dirt
Did you really mean to say those things
Just to make it hurt?

The dirt behind the filth
And the filth behind the dirt
Did you really mean to say those things
Just to make it hurt?_

You keep opening me up
But I need to stay closed for awhile
My own head, my own mind
You told me to leave the fire behind
But that’s not okay
That’s not right
The souls aren’t whole
The souls aren’t whole this time

*The dirt behind the filth
And the filth behind the dirt
Did you really mean to say those things
Just to make it hurt?

The dirt behind the filth
And the filth behind the dirt
Did you really mean to say those things
Just to make it hurt?

The dirt behind the filth
And the filth behind the dirt
Did you really mean to say those things
Just to make it hurt?_

Fourteen

She was fourteen years old

She was cold for the first time

She grew up in a sunny, wasted place

With a bunch of wasted faces

Couldn’t catch a break

‘Cause there was nothing more to say, yeah

And life

It gave her

A glass bottle over the head

And life

It gave her

A taste of what it meant to be dead, yeah

*So she was,

Fourteen, living the dream

Wishing she could be free

Fourteen, part of the scene

As far as they could see

She was, fourteen

She was, fourteen_

First day of high school

She was so shy, so scared

Even though that’s not what she’s like

So anxious to get there

But wondering where

But, ah, life ain’t fair, yeah

And life

It gave her

A class schedule she knew by heart

And life

It gave her

Nowhere, no shot, no chance to start, yeah

*So she was,

Fourteen, living the dream

Wishing she could be free

Fourteen, part of the scene

As far as they could see

She was, fourteen

She was, fourteen_

And do you how hard it is to be fourteen

Don’t know anything

Not grown up, not a child

Wishing you were either

Life, so close

So far away

Plans you want to act on

And a place you want to stay

As long as it’s so far away, yeah

*So he was,

Fourteen, living so free

Raised on the American dream

Fourteen, watching the scene

Eyes that could really see

He was, fourteen

He was, fourteen

She was, fourteen

They were,

Fifteen_

Asking Why

Love won’t hold me down

Knowledge is power now       

Guitar in my arms

I can’t stand it all

I just want to know

I just need to know

I can see the colors in the sky

I can taste the nuance in the air tonight

I can feel the breath, the wind, the kind of thing

I can hear the love and the secrecy

I can smell the smoke floating free

But you can still see me

I can see the colors in the sky

But you can still see me

Asking why

Wit, imagination

Fantasy, estimation

Memory, intuition

Perception, illumination

These are things that rule our minds

Nurture them and soon you’ll find

The beauty and wit is more than just

A thing for the basement-dwellers

And the quick to trust

I can see the colors in the sky

I can taste the nuance in the air tonight

I can feel the breath, the wind, the kind of thing

I can hear the love and the secrecy

I can smell the smoke floating free

But you can still see me

I can see the colors in the sky

But you can still see me

Asking why

Why,

Don’t I know the secrets of the past?

Why,

Can’t I find a home to last?

Why,

Is life so freaking hard?

Why,

Am I going so far?

I can see the colors in the sky

I can taste the nuance in the air tonight

I can feel the breath, the wind, the kind of thing

I can hear the love and the secrecy

I can smell the smoke floating free

But you can still see me

But you can still see me

I can’t see the colors in the sky

I can’t taste the nuance in the air tonight

I can’t feel the breath, the wind, the kind of thing

I can’t hear the love and the secrecy

I can’t smell the smoke floating free

But still—

Traded the world for mystery

And I

I’m still asking why

Asking why

Life won’t hold me down

Knowledge is my power now

I'm Sorry For Your Loss

A fallen hero

A white bed sheet

Shaking your head, disbelieving

A phone call

A dropped cell

Your knees gave out

And you fell

Down into the abyss

Of this suffering doesn’t have to be

But I am so sorry

*I’m sorry for your loss

I’m sorry for the times you’ll never get back

I’m so sorry for it all

I’m sorry that your life is in the past

I can’t begin to understand

Who it is that you’ve lost

But I’m sorry for your loss

But I’m sorry for you loss_

You started in on me

And I can’t blame you for anything

I do not run

I do not hide

I just will stay

Right by your side

Side by the abyss

Of this suffering doesn’t have to be

But I am so sorry

*I’m sorry for your loss

I’m sorry for the times you’ll never get back

I’m so sorry for it all

I’m sorry that your life is in the past

I can’t begin to understand

Who it is that you’ve lost

But I’m sorry for your loss

But I’m sorry for you loss_

Do not mistake me

I will not be

Away forever

I’m not going away at all

I’ll be here

I’ll be here for you

When you need me

When it all seems

So drear

I won’t leave you

I will be here

*I’m sorry for your loss

I’m sorry for the times you’ll never get back

I’m so sorry for it all

I’m sorry that your life is in the past

I can’t begin to understand

Who it is that you’ve lost

But I’m sorry for your loss

I’m sorry for your loss

I’m sorry for the times you’ll never get back

I’m so sorry for it all

I’m sorry that your life is in the past

I can’t begin to understand

Who it is that you’ve lost

But I’m sorry for your loss

But I’m sorry for you loss_

A white bed sheet

A hand, reaching