The Field Behind the Store
Verse 1 Behind the loading dock
the forklifts beep and back
Pallets stacking high like bones along the track. A patch of stubborn grass coming through the stone
Underneath the plastic bags the wind has blown. Kids walked the shortcut
kicking at the can, Arguing on music
acting like a man. Now the fence divides it
razor wire tight
Signs about the danger standing in the light.
Verse 2 They built the discount store on top of sinking ground
Filled the marsh with whatever heavy trucks had found. Old men talk of barrels buried in the deep
Signed the heavy papers while the city was asleep. No one checked the dirt beneath the parking lot
Where shopping carts are rusted and the wheels forgot. Until the sickness started
first a kid or two
Something in the water turning lives to blue.
Pre-Chorus News vans in the lot, cameras on the face
Talking words like “cluster” all over the place. Parents sitting quiet in the sterile white
Holding onto papers in the middle of the night.
Chorus The field behind the market never asked for this
To end up as a warning that the others miss. Soaking up the leakage
every chemical spill
While we chased the bargain and the cheaper bill. Now the kids walk longer just to dodge the side
Where the fence is standing and the secrets hide. We paved the swamp and let the poison grow
And lost a child to the things we didn’t know.
Verse 3 Plastic toys are selling for a dollar less
Shelves are lined above the dirty
buried mess. Birthday parties happen under bright balloons
Cake is eaten to the sound of happy tunes. Workers clock the hours
lifting heavy crates
Going home with aching backs and heavy weights. Worry in the bloodwork
questions in the vein
Everyone knows someone dealing with the pain.
Pre-Chorus Lawyers filing papers, stacking up the blame
Using complex terms to cover up the shame. Grass returns in spring but yellow at the root
Dying in the soil beneath the heavy boot.
Chorus The field behind the market never asked for this
To end up as a warning that the others miss. Soaking up the leakage
every chemical spill
While we chased the bargain and the cheaper bill. Now the kids walk longer just to dodge the side
Where the fence is standing and the secrets hide. We paved the swamp and let the poison grow
And lost a child to the things we didn’t know.
Bridge A wooden cross is standing near the metal link
Plastic flowers fading to a dirty pink. No plaque to read
just dates upon the wood
Eaten by the weather where the child stood. Shoppers pushing carts are thinking of the meal
Ignorant of what the lightning might reveal. The field is like a wound beneath the bandage strip
Waiting for the silence to finally rip.
Outro Smokers by the dumpster, looking at the weed
Thinking of the danger and the corporate greed. Flicking ash in puddles
speaking low and sore
Some prices aren’t listed on the sliding door.