Razors in the Cake
Verse 1 Kitchen strung with paper from the dollar store
Tape is peeling
falling to the floor. Cardboard letters hanging on a tilt
Covering the corners of the guilt. Candles lined up on a store-brand square
Sprinkles hiding cracks with extra care. Music from the phone is sounding thin
Trying hard to hold the silence in.
Verse 2 Father swore that he would make the drive
Texted fire signs at nine-o-five. You cleaned the room and hid the empty glass
Watching every single minute pass. At the hour his status turned to gray
The typing dots just simply went away. Standing by the window
watching street, Nose against the pane, shifting feet.
Pre-Chorus Lighting candles with a shaking hand
Wax is dripping like the shifting sand. Making jokes of traffic and the cars
Knowing he is sitting in the bars.
Chorus Razors in the cake, and no one knew
Cutting through the icing and the blue. Not made of steel
but sharp inside the throat
Choking on the lie inside the note. Smiling while the hope begins to tear
Swallowing the jagged, heavy air. You cut the slices
serving up the plate
Eating all the anger and the hate.
Verse 3 Later on you scrub the dishes clean
Scrubbing with a fury rarely seen. Kid asleep and clutching at the toy
Paper prize upon the sleeping boy. Phone lights up with “Sorry
something came, ” Another excuse
always just the same. Typed a dozen answers, sent a “K
” Threw the phone and turned the other way.
Pre-Chorus Wanted just to scream and wake the house
Instead you moved as quiet as a mouse. Tucked the blanket round the little form
Keeping him protected from the storm.
Chorus Razors in the cake, and no one knew
Cutting through the icing and the blue. Not made of steel
but sharp inside the throat
Choking on the lie inside the note. Smiling while the hope begins to tear
Swallowing the jagged, heavy air. You cut the slices
serving up the plate
Eating all the anger and the hate.
Bridge One day he will piece it all in place
See the disappointment on the face. You’ll have to choose how much to let him know
How much of the ugly truth to sow. For now you take the cuts and bear the sting
Washing up the ruin of the thing. Hands are red from water and the scrub
Trying to erase the dirty rub.
Outro Kitchen goes to black, the streamer falls
Quiet settling in within the walls. Frosting on your wrist
a sugar stain
Vowing you will shield him from the pain.