The Dark Descent Lyrics (part one)

Prologue

Long ago, there was only God and nothing else. From nothing, God created man and the Earth. For man, His prized creation, He gave to them paradise in the form of Eden. Though He was a deity of supreme power, even God knew that good cannot exist without evil for one is relative to the other. In not wanting to disturb any form of paradise for man of his first Earth, God created a second Earth. In addition, He constructed a veil to prevent any contact from one world to another. God then looked upon man of His second Earth and said, “You shall shoulder the burden of first Earth’s evils. You will scream out your name, desperate to be heard, but it will fall on deaf ears. Your blood will spill so theirs may stay in the vein. They shall never know your existence and your deeds shall go unrewarded.” With his Design complete, God departed for the heavens. The evils of first Earth took on tangible black forms the people called nightmares. The nightmares relentlessly pursued the people of second Earth, slaughtering without cause or mercy. Though cruel, the balance was perfect. But as infallible as God may be, man is not, and both worlds gave birth to a flaw in the Design.



Unseen

Will they ever know what we've done?
Injustice, we've inherited this burden
Shoved to the ground, beaten bloody
We'll risk our own forsaken future
To spare the ones we've never seen
Awkwardly pray for some guidance
And give us inspiration for our deeds

Let's keep it down low...
You scream your name to the bastards
Till your mouth trickles blood
Deaf ears

Rain falls harder than the day before
Convinced the jade sky hates us
And the city's infrastructure
Falls just short of despondency
The children hopscotch across glass
Shredded feet on the dirty ground
Their bodies litter shallow puddles

We're cursed to these black tar streets
Why did someone steal away our hope?
The very thing that could save us
From the onslaught of brutal nightmares
Crimson graffiti paints downtown square
The corpses of those who dared to dream
Fear the incubus wrath so violently

Let's keep it down low...
You scream your name to the bastards
Till your mouth trickles blood
Deaf ears

You scream your name to the bastards
Till your mouth trickles blood



The Distraction

Skeptical, but scholars are never wrong
Feverish notes and analytic predictions
Could these scribbles tell us pretense?
The public needs their damn scapegoat
Give them one distraction to kill us all

Torn covers up over your head
On the milk crate by your bed
Turn out the light
Say goodnight
We love you Jacob

Do the calculations speak of our boy?
Prophetic science courts mass hysteria
To cut humanity and its pulsing heart
We can't hide this or turn back time
God broke down and the child was born

Torn covers up over your head
On the milk crate by your bed
Turn out the light
Say goodnight
We love you Jacob

Confess the secrets fear likes to keep
Should the boy give grace to the girl
Dark shadows shall spill into the light
And a nightmare or two will kill the lot
Just to take from us our precarious world

Regina, could Jacob play his part in this?
An abject child born to solicit an end
By facilitating the nightmares we hold at bay
Tell his brothers some excuse for the rumors
Older they may be, but naive as the rest

Give them one distraction to kill us all
We love you Jacob



What Will The Neighbors Think?

Soundly sleeping when roused awake
The bustle downstairs was overheard
In one quick motion, take my hand
This is just too big for my selfish ears

What will the neighbors think?
Will they tell all their friends?
Pressed up against the wall
Give it one last curtain call
With all the clues learned
The Witch Hunters will burn
And stand match in hand

Consider the mess that lay before us
Do you think it wise to turn a blind eye?
A cold winter has set over this family
Windswept footprints are what remain

Brother, you take to being the hero
And I’ll resort to the role of madman
We’ll ignite the loose dangling fuse
And blow this whole thing wide open

What will the neighbors think?
Will they tell all their friends?
Pressed up against the wall
Give it one last curtain call
With all the clues learned
The Witch Hunters will burn
And stand match in hand

Bite your tongue and don’t say anything
Even if you run, plans will stay in effect
Don’t forget to call me when you’re gone
I’ve taken cause and I’m remaining strong

Because this is our world!
Our burden! Our life!
Jacob’s dirty blood will spill
And God’s Design shall stand!
Tomorrow’s not the end
Just the beginning of the end

And as I watch from the stairs
The living room walls rush in
Like cascading waterfalls
"Andrew, what will we do?"
She asks
He holds her close, tear in eye
"Wait for a song," his reply



The Ride Home on Patched Vinyl

Take my dollar and we'll hit up Dick's
For a fist-sized vanilla ice cream cone
The savior of your youthful ambitions

Run down a little ways past the hydrant
Around the corner of the old library
Meet me where the sidewalk cracks away

We'll live this day forever and again
A story of an old man and his youngest
Brought to you by the news at ten

Have you kissed Kari yet?
Ha ha!
Hitch up the sidecar
We'll take it on home

Take the wind with a grain of salt
As we cut the plaza corners too sharp
And this motorbike threatens to spill

Construction girders pass overhead
And dust ripples the air in our wake
Downtown's death won't delay us today

We'll live this day forever and again
A story of an old man and his youngest
Brought to you by the news at ten

Have you kissed Kari yet?
Ha ha!
Hitch up the sidecar
We'll take it on home

Will you run should they follow?
Those ghastly black shades
That trip the steps you may take
We can't ever tell you the things
Bad dreams will tear from you
I won't shout over the engine
But I hear you laughing
Smile, boy
Death will wipe it away
Soon enough

Hitch up the sidecar
We'll take it on home

Have you kissed Kari yet?
Ha ha!
Hitch up the sidecar
We’ll take it on home



Residents of Dyne Street

The blinds pulled tight
And the front door ajar
On this, your misgiving's day
Step over the splintered threshold
And say the prayers you wish
You said yesterday

A scar fate has left to you
Wrinkled skin stretched taut
Over tomorrow's wounds
Wounds that may never heal
Until you're dead on the floor

Heavy breathing cracks the air
There, the figure in the kitchen
Takes a step from the table
In a paranoid combat stance
Just enough volatile misguidance
To deliver a final riddance

Jacob, take to the stairs
Flee from this crime scene
Comatose, can't move
Numbness down in your legs
Gunner draws a bead
It's your brother staring me down



Victims of Dyne Street

We never even had a chance
Torb and Madrick listened
Eavesdropped by happenstance
The night mom and dad spoke
My secrets

Blood on the banister
Mom's been shot
A tumble down the stairs
She screams, a voice so shrill
Could my brother
Really kill?
Oh dear God
The bullet rips through Daddy's chest
And I can't blink
From this mess

My own kin fears the worst of me
What am I to deserve this sentence?
A witness to loving parents slain
Red splatters coat the furniture
The scene in these walls echo evil
While dying gasps pull air into lungs
Solar eyes draw tears to my left cheek
Could I just say goodbye before I die?

Blood on the banister
Mom's been shot
A tumble down the stairs
She screams, a voice so shrill
Could my brothers
Really kill?
Oh dear God
The bullet rips through Daddy's chest
And I can't blink
from this mess

She yells to me
Run my Jacob!
Torb's in the kitchen
Madrick ran away
Torb's in the kitchen
Madrick ran away

The revolver in the desk drawer
A last defense
To spill the blood
Of my brethren
A crushing first step out the door
Gunshots ring out
Ricochet off
They're both dead



Sweet Red River

No, I won’t look back
Cast a sideways glance
In my death-house direction
A faint blood trickle
Runs down the front stoop
My father’s sweet red river
A man robbed of life in my name

Do angels play their harps on this day?
Celestial being, strum your strings
But your instrument isn’t in tune

Run from the terror in my family
A decimation of weakened ties
Sun-baked pavement catches the
Sweat from off of my face
Lead-weight legs can’t carry me
Like an escape in a bad dream
Should I turn and fight?
Bring evil with a deathblow
The cold metal in my hands
Each step, the burden grows heavy

No, I won’t look back
Cast a sideways glance
In my death-house direction
A faint blood trickle
Runs down the front stoop
My father’s sweet red river
A man robbed of life in my name

Do angels play their harps on this day?
Celestial being, strum your strings
But your instrument isn’t in tune

No funerals in the corner church
But will the papers claim tragedy?
They can’t stop the world from turning
When my love, carry on their line
My tears, bless their gift

Do angels play their harps on this day?
Celestial being, strum your strings
But your instrument isn’t in tune



A Madman In The City

My cause
Worthy of the very stars
Sever the skyline from the ground
And split the horizon wide open
Giving birth to a new vibrant sound

You living sin
Who walks among the day
I’ll pursue all the footsteps you take
Across the sidewalks of this city
Bringing a hail of gunfire down upon

SEND ME ALL YOUR HEROES!

My heart beats in malice!
These hands won’t rest
Until your body is lifeless!

Mark my words
I will spare our world
A promise I’ll make toward the heavens
To redeem us from you wicked boy
Killing all those who keep me from you

When I call out
Will you come and answer?
Bring this serrated knife to your neck
And so what if I’m a madman?
Wiping clean the plague you inflicted

SEND ME ALL YOUR HEROES!

The distraction comes torn!
God condemned us all
On the day you were born!

You always were
The one with all the love
This has nothing to do with jealousy
My younger brother in tears
A needless disguise, to say the least



Dusk

The people run while the shots you fire
Scream out across our urban battlefield
You’ve followed me to crossing avenues
And as the amber streetlights turn on
Dusk swirls and settles over the rooftops
I don’t think I can run from you anymore

Trigger pull
And
Sound blast
Tucked roll
And
Bullet pass

An empty chamber and a quick reload
With a face of eyes tight shut
I’ll return all the faith you’ve shown

These crimson promises drip to the street
Your integrity fails to make a mention of
Reflexes that say memories will fade away
Frantic explanations brush against my lips
In case these cascading words won’t ease
I’ll scrawl my tired apology soft in the sand

Trigger pull
And
Sound blast
Tucked roll
And
Bullet pass

An empty chamber and a quick reload
With a face of eyes tight shut
I’ll return all the faith you’ve shown

Metal pulls through tender shoulder flesh
Your angry gaze reflects the searing pain
Lay down your weapon and run now, Torb
These worries shiver as night comes to fall
I begged your mercy before my shot came
Would you forgive my way if I cried for you?



27

Make your fleeing retreat, older brother
Sweaty palms clutching at that wound
And blood steady gushing down
I’m not scared of the dark when night crashes in
But the fact that home is nowhere

You’d call me the devil
With tears on my face?
The taunting tastes dull
Like the words we used
So lightly a day before
Our lives have drifted
Trapped among the bits
Of shattered yesterdays

If only I could be strong
But if you’d just leave the porch light on
Please, Kari, there isn’t anywhere else to go
Come dawn, I’ll be on my own

A short call home, like always
Let mom and dad know I got here safe
I’ll let the phone ring twenty-seven times
Before I hang it up
I know they’d never answer
It’s just that fleeting chance I crave

So the day ends on this

A treacherous moon lurches
One less day wasted on the light between

So the day ends on this

Tell me again why you care
Your words sauntering across your tongue

If only I could be strong
But if you’d just leave the porch light on
Please, Kari, there isn’t anywhere else to go
Come dawn, I’ll be on my own



Lattice of Memories

Falling asleep
On the floor by her bed
Softly and sputtering
Choking back those sobs
You’ll bring the revolver to your head

The days you’ve left behind
Collapse under the weight of the days to come

You cry for the things you’ve lost
And the moments that photos
Forever froze in time
Desperate to live them again

What would you do if you could?

The stories have all gone away
Whisper a prayer for the dead
And cling to the memories you think
Will mean the most in the end

You’ll plead morning not to come
And tear them from your dreams
Keep them there safe and sound

Mom…
Please
Come cover your son
Dad…
Please
Come protect your son

May God save you from pulling that trigger!

When you’ve fallen from grace
Cut the threads that bind your misery
And rise above those that caused
The day’s obituaries

Stay your hand, Jacob
Because the Wakers are watching over you

Watch your back, Jacob
Because the Witch Hunters are gunning for you



These Secrets That Spill

Blood stains hatred across my name
What were the deeds that brought this fate?
My face cracked with dried tears and
My fingers curled ‘round the trigger
Can you give me solace in
These secrets that spill?

I can forgive your stuttering tongue
When my heart swells and skips beats
The tedious syllables from your mouth
Encircle the shadows I lay hidden in

In the morning’s first light
Give me words passed along whispers
Soft and gullible they would be now
Should the burden fall on fragile shoulders
Fingers etched deep in this armrest
Legs crossed small, salt-stinging eyes
Heavy breaths and I don’t want to hear it
These flaws cut me deep flesh-to-bone
Cast truths in the violent undertow
Left swimming for the shallow end
Reeling and drowning, thrashing for air

You say I’m the distraction in God’s Design
To love your daughter will tear a deity’s fabric
Unravel the frayed threads of His cunning veil
A barrier between here and those of Earth
Should I give a moment of grace to the girl
Dark shadows shall crash over into the light
With the blood dripping gingerly from my hands

In the morning’s first light
Give me words passed along whispers
Soft and gullible they would be now
Should the burden fall on fragile shoulders



The Empty Path Abroad

When the wooden door closes at my heels
I'll know that it's been done
When city air chokes me more than before
I'll know that hope is none

Burn my soul and mark me for dead!
Scatter the ashes to the curbside
And dance among the ribbons of wind

I'd pretend my death would be a shame
But with no time for a distraction
No one would bother to say a prayer

These hands
Used to count down
Cautioned smiles
My own hands
Pink and lined
Bloodless still

Gray clouds creep across the day's sky
Shadows fade into the softened colors
With no friends, the sun says goodbye

Steps center straight down the street
Wednesday's bustle has stepped aside
Clear out, Hell has sent its messiah

These hands
Used to count down
Cautioned smiles
My own hands
Pink and lined
Bloodless still

It’s now that realize I have nothing left
It’s now when your silhouette appears
Your soft shape on the horizon behind
Make your way to me still featureless
Running so lightly without a sound
Should I scream just yet, Kari?
Running from, never to
The nightmares are behind you



Backalley Savior

Take her hand
And everything you learned
Into the alley across the street
Try to make sense of the way out
You know the stones will never forgive

Weston!
A sharp grasp
Fire escape!
Don’t be last
Pull us both up to safety and
Wake us from this nightmare

Run faster
Those terrors are coming
Your sweat and tears stream
And flow among the storm drains
Stumble until your heart says stop

Weston!
A sharp grasp
Fire escape!
Don’t be last
Pull us both up to safety and
Wake us from this nightmare

Cloaked man
Lead the boy and girl away
With staggered rooftop bounds
Slowly but surely the chase ends
And the purpose of Design leaks out

We've risked our own forsaken future
To spare the ones we've never seen
We’ve screamed our names to the bastards
Till our mouths trickled blood

Jacob!
We're cursed to these black tar streets
Why did someone steal away our hope?
Sentenced to death with no mercy in it

Earth!
Will they ever know what we've done?
Injustice we've inherited this burden
Our lives surrendered so they can live

We keep the nightmares from their dreams
Before this Waking, here and now
Sleep soundly now



Witch Hunt

Traced and followed clues
Dead ends and dead bodies
For years, we’ve done this
Hunted for the distraction
Taken the lives of so many
Innocent boys speaking
Strictly in the name of design

Heart to throat with a blood betrayal
The target streets aren’t far by foot
But still too late with a stench of death
Call the police and stay for the report
An officer’s slip of the tongue and smile
The boy had but just one friend to turn

He was here once before
In the girl’s empty bedroom
The old man in the living room
Won’t tell us the whereabouts
Give him two in the chest
And let his blood from the neck
The children can’t come home

Gravely outnumbered, we are three and
He is but one boy set to burn at our hands
We are on the edge of doing God’s work
The pillars of design shall stand before us
And us, match in hand and revered so high
Smoke to the sky, the boy cloaked in fire

Give grace to God and take to the streets!



Waker Providence (By Weston’s Hand)

We’ve come a long way now
Left behind our fears in the streets of that city
But take care to remember
All the stupid things your mother said yesterday

Treks through the rain
Moments against the grain
Tragically we gained
With blood red stains

Pray now…
This isn’t over just yet!
Pray now, Jacob…
Chips are down
So hedge your bet

Waker stronghold on the hill
We’re safe now in the halls of this providence
Forced conversation over scattered plates
And crumbled photos are all that remain

Treks through the rain
Moments against the grain
Tragically we gained
With blood red stains

Pray now…
This isn’t over just yet!
Pray now, Jacob…
Chips are down
So hedge your bet


What do you expect me to say?
This revolver and a beating heart
But not a word that should pass
To instigate a murderous love
A distraction and bullets that can
Perpetuate the fallibility of man
I could take a moment to think
Words that cycle over in mind
Scribble notes across the table
And with a heavy sigh to the air
I’ll be the disgrace I was born to be



Surrogate

Consequences didn’t seem to matter then
When I pulled you from your nightmares
Your hand in mine and pity stolen in time

I feel like for all I know
This world could end tomorrow
And there’s no time…

Intentions wander aimlessly between lives
With a dire need for a love to hold on to
But this madness besets even our cataclysm
Screamed mercilessly with no final regards
All I want is just a chance
To be something to you

They say the distraction comes torn
But through the window all I see one
Whose fate has been misplaced
Strangled by hands so cruel

Hold onto those memories
The ones that tug at the back of your mind
These are the days they will mean the most
Because no matter what I do, they’ll come to
Tear down our walls and still your heart
It's my heart, the bastards don't know it
No one knows these voices in my head
Devious cracked whispers, they words they say

DOESN’T GOD KNOW THE DESIGN HAS GONE TOO FAR?

Write a letter and tell Him I’d die for you
Take the bullet and shred this skin from my skeleton
My heart set ablaze in the night sky

I feel like for all I know
This world could end tomorrow
And there’s no time…

I’ll come cover their son
I’ll come protect their son

Just to tell you
You’re mine now



Silhouettes Entwined

When the stars shift into the sky
Night falls and the silence settles

In bed
My door opens, resounds

And there you stand
Soft curves that give shape
Your silhouette breaks the light

The blankets stir
Lay your body next to mine
And match my breath in time

In heat
My heart speeds, anxiety

Will you notice my hands
As they slip past your waist?
Tell me now with a soft gasp

Do you feel the butterflies?
Wrapped up in foreign desires
Passion in this foreign place

In love
My hips respond, rhythm

Can we really measure
The very worth of our act?
The aftermath hangs heavy

With no other recourse
But the apocalypse before us
We have dared to dream



A New Rising Anger

Inebriation, the glasses clatter
He’s taken to drown sins in the alcohol
But there wasn’t so much as another way
The murders by his hands such a shame
But a necessary evil for these times
With the last cigarette snuffed out
His spilled lies poison the weak

Killed our parents, he did!
Shot me in the shoulder, he did!
He can send me all his heroes
But there’s no escape now!

So who’s with me, men?
Hear, hear!
Raise your voice, raise your glass!
We’ll make this plot my brother’s last!
Hear, hear!
Take up arms, storm Waker tower!
Jacob’s death will be our finest hour!

That petty distraction haunts their minds
And in the crowd’s new rising anger
Ignorance flowing in their growing veins
The cacophony comes in cutting shards
Don’t worry, you’ve stripped that boy
Of his humanity when he was down
Never mind choosing your words now

Killed our parents, he did!
Shot me in the shoulder, he did!
He can send me all his heroes
But there’s no escape now!

So who’s with me, men?
Hear, hear!
Raise your voice, raise your glass!
We’ll make this plot my brother’s last!
Hear, hear!
Take up arms, storm Waker tower!
Jacob’s death will be our finest hour!

Do you know the odds now?
Stacked and heavy

Can you face the throng now?
Dead and suffocating

Can you feel the pain now?
Unseen and inevitable



One Army (Breathless Before)

We exchange our worried glances
When the city’s evening bells ring
Messenger boy struck bruised
Bears our insignia on his shoulder
And a warning on hand

One and two, the brothers are coming
Well, take a gun and say your prayers
We stood our ground before we knew
Everything, thinking we knew everything
Imagining it’d make all the difference

Murmurs scatter and legs shift weight
This is the chance I’m giving you for
Your name to echo and cross worlds
Not content with merely looking in
This the eve of our story’s last verse

But you won’t be coming home again!
Dear Kristin you’ll write to your lover
Our days grow perilous and soon all
The world may die the lines give her
Fair warning but even in death you’ll
Always have my love professes the
End so for what may be the last time
I’ll wish you a goodnight, beautiful

Those delirious letters you scribbled
She’ll never read alone in the dark
Kicking and screaming, you put her in
Thinking you knew everything bastard
But who are you to stop the collision?
You are but one army, breathless before



Prophecies and Barriers

In our days
We’ll see the rise and fall of man
Prison cell you claimed
The bars they overlap
And the floors they sank before
You knew it was strategically placed
Allegorically arraigned

With less than sleep
Our nightmares play
To take their toll in blood
Through the streets they’ve crept
The flashlight drops
And the darkness comes

Won’t you pray for the unseen?
And give them inspiration for their deeds
The big hand moves swiftly
And you won’t be ready

Nothing else could’ve mattered
When divine will sculpted
Dirt from nothing
When divine will knitted
Veils from nothing
Acceptance beats on
Only after the maddening rage
Fingers claw, face contorts

Call in sick today
They said it’s all said and done
Look up and see it now
Blinding hues burst
Into brilliant starshines
How does the sky shift such colors?
From green to blue
Towers that we never built
Extend into shared new horizons

Passed along
The words on tongues through time
Not now, can’t be bothered
Such silly fables our mothers told
But can it be
Is this our fall?
A boy will bring worlds
Tumbling down to their knees
With the girl that he loves

Won’t you pray for the unseen?
And give them inspiration for their deeds
The big hand moves swiftly
And you won’t be ready

Prices paid in full
In the ground they’ll remain
The gravestones they read
In Loving Memory of
Andrew and Regina
And the clock bleeds for your pain

My dear love
Shut your mouth and kiss me
My dear love
I’ve parted worlds for you

The words you say
Regardless now
Don’t give me meaning
The thoughts linger straight through
Our nightmares grow
Darker and insidious
Stronger and malicious
Cultivated to destroy life and design

The one who sought to save you
Slithers clandestine to deceive you
The secrets he keeps
Plays the scene cool
But did he ever tell you
Just who the hell is in the basement?
Muffled to a minimum
You never did hear

You stupid fool
Taken them all like possessions
You stupid fool
Crazy the synapses in your head

My dear love
Shut your mouth and kiss me
My dear love
I’ve parted worlds for you

I’ve parted worlds for you

Won’t you pray for everyone?
And give voice for the last line sung
The big hand moves swiftly
And you won’t be ready



Frayed Threads

Midnight shadows fall across the lawn
On the count we spread silently
From doorstep into battle position
Behind the bush we creep and wait
When beyond the hazy hills they come

So here we go down this road again
You won't believe a word I say
Run down and tongue left stuttering
You won't let me have a say
We've done this before, haven't we?
You won't just push it away

"Is this it? These are all the heroes you’ve sent?"
"Why has it come to heroics to save us from you?"
"It’s the burden we bear… to protect the Design."
"But we’re just kids, why can’t you leave us alone?"
"Because I know you fucked her and you’ll kill us all."

In a last syllable climax the curtain pulls
Take cover, dive here when we have no chance
Show me your steady straight arm in action
Pulling weight in the direction you claim
Draw your gun and extend arm length in aim

Blood soaks the grass when bodies fall
Eyes jammed open left in a dead struck gaze
Finger to neck-pulse but nothing to feel
Does God really hate us for this scene?
I'll pull through for just one more night

So here we go down this road again
You won't believe a word I say
Run down and tongue left stuttering
You won't let me have a say
We've done this before, haven't we?
You won't just push it away

Don't make a move now
It's pointed at your
Vulnerable headside
A brief reunion
But before he sees
There's a terminal blow
To his bludgeoned skull
And the words that
Passed her lips
Thank God for your brother
We never would've made it
Thank God for you, Madrick
Take heed in my words
Take my hand into yours
This is a lost cause
We'll run from providence



Midnight Decadence

Don't forget it's all come down
No matter what we say or run to
With my eyes in reflection see
Sinking stomach hurried ideas

But she pleads against the lies
Caution given to wind in a clear
Moment that lacks legs to carry
Just let go of my shoulders

Razor tipped words cut into him
What did you make us do, Weston?
Sacrifices for burdens not seen
Get a grip, man, it's not over

You know you can't change them
All those plans made on paper
Distorted ink and alleged lies
Turn head in sight of the door

Nightmares pour right through
My God, we've failed them all

EPIPHANY SHINE!

We'll make those bastards pay
To leave a mark across the face
Just more than what we're given

EPIPHANY SHINE!

A shot to the back if you hesitate
Why would you stagger with this?
Your name will echo across worlds

EPIPHANY SHINE!

It's our turn to spill blood
And this time we choose theirs
And next time we choose God's



Half of Forever

Hold in a soft gasp that stings
Misguided morality senses
When blind sided by the skies

It's only a matter of time now
Before the world starts to end
In a word-of-mouth apocalypse

Dead to me short time ago
But it's taken half of forever
And I don't want to wait again

I am the bringer of this ruin
An accusation I'll never contest
So I must transcend and atone

Take hold of my heart
And come away with me

Her eyes say I love you dear
But her words say don't come near

These lungs breathe only for you
And the cold air feels like a lie
Now you'll lie here on your own

So alone I walk through the veil
Bearing the burden of their lives
And I shed a tear you can't see

Dead to me short time ago
But it's taken half of forever
And I don't want to wait again

I am the bringer of this ruin
An accusation I'll never contest
So I must transcend and atone

Take hold of my heart
And come away with me

Her eyes say I love you dear
But her words say don't come near

Lacking sound but with your grief
My love you'll never be without
But now I have to take my leave



Daydreamer pt.1 – Desperation at the Outpost

Head
dropped
softly
Did we do the right thing?

Feet
dragged
heavily
Rash decisions we've made

Both younger brother and lover we let go
Meet my eyes to yours but break away first
Take your time and step across the motionless
Don't slip on the red stains littering the yard
Knock, knock but there's no one at the door
Keep it down low so the shadows can't hear us
Pass a light and investigate what's left behind

We found them strewn across the floor
Pictures carelessly scattered
With the writing you left in red
"Love Always Beautiful" across the back
Undelivered letters you kept for years
Were they hers to read in the first place
When her smiling green eyes can't see?

There, don't tell me you couldn't hear that
Once more, listen, ear pressed to the carpets
Ever so slightly there comes something below
Tiptoe down the stairs in the basement we see
The girl in the pictures, gagged and bound
Marked as property of a foolish old bastard
Not of this world, so beautiful and free of burden

Eyes
darted
wildly
Malnourished fear in her time

Mouth
opened
slowly
Her story’s tearful memories:



Daydreamer pt.2 – The Dunn Family Crimes

With a patriarchal brutality so cruel
A battered lip and a taste of blood
Laid to rest with what she gave you,
A necklace on your twelfth birthday
After you came home the first time
When you clutch it tighter in hand
It just might drown out her screams

Headlights from across the street
Filter through your window’s blinds
When down the hall a violent voice
Plays the rewind loop of it all wrong
Leave her in next time I tell you!
And you know when she calls out
Not a damned thing can save her now

Cornered by your dreams
Visions of dark green skies
A distraction of the unseen
Now what did I say before?
I don’t want to hear anymore
Turn out the light
And say goodnight
Or you’ll be dead by morning

The fight breaks out and you swear
Neither one will make it through
There won’t be an emergency call
But a flurry of insults exchanged
And the blows come in torrents
You’ll cry silently when the night
Threatens to tear apart at the seams

Cornered by your dreams
Visions of dark green skies
A distraction of the unseen
Now what did I say before?
I don’t want to hear anymore
Turn out the light
And say goodnight
Or you’ll be dead by morning

The design beckons you each time
You fall asleep with suicidal dreams
Shudder when the pangs of anxiety
Claw your beating heart to ribbons
And your lungs no longer exhale
Won’t you fade away in a daydream
To give rise to another’s purpose?

Turn out the light
And say goodnight
And you’ll be gone by morning



The Daydreamer pt.3 – Speak So Careless

Turn to the cool side of the sheets
Anxious and I just can’t find sleep
Swept away in a myriad of dreams
And I’ve been here years to date

It was you to find me on the way
At your most inconvenient time
But then I whispered soft in need
I’m falling and there’s no restraint

Surely you felt just a bit criminal
When you said I’m lost without you
At the same time, I don’t want you
When the time comes, you can go

But I eased in and told you I’m done
Slid my jeans up and over my curves
You stood still fists clenched defiantly
I can’t believe you’re screaming at me

Protests from my mouth and pink hands
That claw at the wall when you snarled
You’re far from home and you’re mine
You know I fought you quite well too

Forgotten and cursed to the basement
So surely you felt just a bit criminal
When I begged for you to turn on the
Light and you turned your back on me

Forgive me if I’d rather see you dead
Because you still say you will love me
After I told you of my home’s blue skies
And all you said was I was a catalyst

Will you ever touch my face again?
I’ll touch my hands to your face again
And press my thumbs to your sockets
Didn’t you think I’d live through this?

Thank God I was still alive that night
You returned, soaked from the rain
But surely you felt just a bit criminal
When you made that boy at home

I soon lost the words to call for help
Three days and they couldn’t figure out
But till they found me at my worst
I always knew this is how it would be

I’ve daydreamed far too long



His Brother’s Majestic Fall

Make your first move without direction
The tears fall freely from her eyes now
Give her a sturdy shoulder to rest on

When it comes down to just three
The pressure builds within your skin
And Jacob will blame you in the end

Sidestepped and struck to the ground
A blast of fury from an arrogant suit
Masked eyes and the hunt stops here
In the holy name of our God almighty
Give up now and relinquish the girls!

A fist to the chest, a foot to the head
Face down so fight back with ferocity
The witch can’t be too far from here
In the holy name of our God almighty
Give up now and relinquish the girls!

Each moment trickles deep into place
Slowed motion gives way to confusion
Like a silent movie we’ve seen before

Memories flood in through teary eyes
Vulnerable but you won’t say a word
When pain cripples a beating heart

The blows feel like soft butterflies now
Nerves crossed dead like twisted string
You surely can’t feel the cool breeze

Sidestepped and struck to the ground
A blast of fury from an arrogant suit
Masked eyes and the hunt stops here
In the holy name of our God almighty
Give up now and relinquish the girls!

A fist to the chest, a foot to the head
Face down so fight back with ferocity
The witch can’t be too far from here
In the holy name of our God almighty
Give up now and relinquish the girls!

And you’ll cry out, "Jacob!"
Through collapsed lungs
And reddened teeth
"Wait for a song, dear brother"

And one by one, the bloodline falls

With a sneer, the Hunters will collect their prizes
And let go of their burden through the veil
To lay waste to a distraction in God’s Design



(concluded in part two)