Buildings

I know I hurt you over and over. I did my very best, I swear it. I know you gave me time, again and again and again. But I gave you time, too. And you slipped away from me. Slowly and suddenly all at once.

Dark apartments and cold floors. Bare feet. Hands wet with water.

~

he was a husband who drove his wife home
drunk, from the parties
he was a husband who drove his wife home
and in the car he would lean her head gently against
the sidedoor window
and in the bathroom he would hold her hair back and hope

saying, "oh, they build bulidings, oh
they build buildings, oh
they build buildings, oh
they build buildings, oh
they build buildings, oh
they build buildings, oh
they build buildings so tall these days..."

and in the morning she'd wake up and
crouch recollections all day, but
she would always, always wake up the next morning
he'd take one look at her and say "oh, oh, it's OK,"
and then her conscience would issue yet another last warning

saying, "oh, they build bulidings, oh
they build buildings, oh
they build buildings, oh
they build buildings, oh
they build buildings, oh
they build buildings, oh
they build buildings so tall these days..."

and she would ask for time
and she'd ask for time
and she'd ask for time
and she'd ask for time
and she would beg for time
and she'd beg for time
and call it a gift
and he would give her time
and he'd give her time
and he'd give her time
and he'd give her time
but time is not taken
and time is not given
it just sifts through its sift
but time is not taken
and time is not given
it just sifts through its sift

and would be coffee and coffee and coffee and coffee
and coffee and coffee some more
he'd go to work and she'd take a sick day and rot at the core
and by the time he came back she'd scrubbed the bathrooms
and make them smell like pine
it would be almost as if nothing had happened
and he'd give her time, oh, oh
and he'd give her time

saying, "oh, they build bulidings, oh
they build buildings, oh
they build buildings, oh
they build buildings, oh
they build buildings, oh
they build buildings, oh
they build buildings so tall these days..."

and she would ask for time
and she'd ask for time
and she'd ask for time
and she'd beg for time
and she would beg for time
and she'd beg for time
and call it a gift
and he would give her time
and he'd give her time
and he'd give her time
and he'd give her time
but time is not taken
and time is not given
it just sifts through its sift
but time is not taken
and time is not given
it just sifts through its sift

he was a husband, drove, time, home, time, car, oh
core, core, sick day, core, coffee, core, warning, last warning
he was a husband, time, pine, scrub, scrub, bathroom
lean hair back, car, window
hope, time, give, don't they
build buildings tall these days?