Plastic King
Verse 1 White bottle sitting by the bed
Name is spelled wrong
or so I read. Warning label singing the same old song
Don’t be me
don’t get it wrong. Child-proof cap fighting with the hand
Three A.M. in the shadow land. Doctor said take one
maybe two
But never mix it with the mountain dew. Fold the paper
put it on the shelf, Trying to protect me from myself.
Verse 2 Some nights it sits like a plastic king
In a circle of dust and a water ring. Thinking of the bridge and the heavy drop
How the rust is the only thing that makes me stop. Twist the cap to hear the rattle sound
White chips rolling on the holy ground. Pour one out into the sweating palm
Too light to bring a heavy calm. Too clean to carry all the dirt I feel
Waiting for the ceiling to become real.
Pre-Chorus No cameras here, no tragic pose
Just wearing yesterday’s dirty clothes. Counting the tablets like a flock of sheep
Bargaining with the dark for sleep.
Chorus Pills on the nightstand, thoughts in the head
Staring down at the empty bed. If I take one
the noise might cease, If I take none
I get no peace. If I took the lot, the fight would end
But break the heart of every friend. That’s the line I will not cross
No matter how I feel the loss. So I swallow one and leave the rest
Put the darkness back inside the chest.
Verse 3 Write it down when the spinning starts
Name the monsters and the broken parts. Notebooks filled with the jagged line
Half a prayer and a warning sign. Flip the pages
feel the shame
Arguing with the same old name. But ink is proof I stayed around
When I wanted to be underground. Choosing the beat of the stubborn heart
Instead of tearing it all apart.
Pre-Chorus Not a hero, not a cautionary tale
Just a ship waiting out the gale. Stepping aside from the open door
Deciding to stay for a little more.
Chorus Pills on the nightstand, thoughts in the head
Staring down at the empty bed. If I take one
the noise might cease, If I take none
I get no peace. If I took the lot, the fight would end
But break the heart of every friend. That’s the line I will not cross
No matter how I feel the loss. So I swallow one and leave the rest
Put the darkness back inside the chest.
Bridge Maybe one day the bottle clears
Without the panic and the fears. I’ll wash the sheets and fix the space
Put a picture in the empty place. But for now we share the room
Negotiating with the gloom. Arguing dosage in the dead of night
Waiting for the morning light. Waking up to the cracked ceiling paint
One ugly win for the sinner and the saint.
Outro Click the lamp and cut the light
Breathe into the heavy night. Bottle stays and so do I
Underneath the ceiling sky.