empty streets and yellow lights
the city breathing slow
windows down at half past two
got nowhere left to go
the radio plays something old
i haven't heard in years
funny how a song can bring back
everything you thought you'd cleared
the road just keeps on going
the night just keeps on holding
something in the darkness feels
closer than it should
3 am and i'm still driving
don't know what i'm looking for
3 am and i'm still moving
like i've done a thousand times before
the city lights bleed into nothing
the highway swallows everything whole
3 am and i'm still driving
just me and the road and my soul
passed the diner on the corner
where we used to sit till dawn
the waitress knew our order
now that whole life's gone
i don't stop i just keep rolling
let the engine do the work
some things heal better moving
some things only moving hurts
the road just keeps on going
the night just keeps on holding
something in the darkness feels
closer than it should
3 am and i'm still driving
don't know what i'm looking for
3 am and i'm still moving
like i've done a thousand times before
the city lights bleed into nothing
the highway swallows everything whole
3 am and i'm still driving
just me and the road and my soul
maybe i'm not running from it
maybe i'm just giving it space
maybe the road is the only place
where everything falls into place
3 am and i'm still driving
don't know what i'm looking for
3 am and i'm still moving
like i've done a thousand times before
the city lights bleed into nothing
the highway swallows everything whole
3 am and i'm still driving
just me and the road and my soul
Walls are closing in, the ceiling’s coming down
I’m the only living soul in this godforsaken town.
Phone is silent, the lights are getting dim
Thinking 'bout the ghost of who I might have been.
Yeah, everything is shit, everything is grey
Just another hollow, lonely, wasted day.
Then I look at the bottle, then I look at the door
I’ve been down this road a thousand times before.
Why am I crying? Why am I sad?
I’m the best damn disaster that the world ever had!
To hell with the silence, to hell with the pain
I’m gonna set a fire in the middle of the rain!
SHIT ON IT! (Yeah!)
SHIT ON IT! (That's right!)
Fuck you to the shadows, Fuck you to the night
I’m turning up the volume, I’m looking for a fight!
I was lonely for a minute, now I’m party-bound
Turning every "shit" into a beautiful sound!
Yeah, I’m dancing with the devil, I’m drinking with the moon
The sun is gonna find me in a pile of ruin!
Fuck you to the shadows, Fuck you to the night
I’m turning up the volume, I’m looking for a fight!
Walls are closing in, the ceiling’s coming down
I’m the only living soul in this godforsaken town.
Phone is silent, the lights are getting dim
Thinking 'bout the ghost of who I might have been.
Yeah, everything is shit, everything is grey
Just another hollow, lonely, wasted day.
Then I look at the bottle, then I look at the door
I’ve been down this road a thousand times before.
Why am I crying? Why am I sad?
I’m the best damn disaster that the world ever had!
To hell with the silence, to hell with the pain
I’m gonna set a fire in the middle of the rain!
SHIT ON IT! (Yeah!)
SHIT ON IT! (That's right!)
Fuck you to the shadows, Fuck you to the night
I’m turning up the volume, I’m looking for a fight!
I was lonely for a minute, now I’m party-bound
Turning every "shit" into a beautiful sound!
Yeah, I’m dancing with the devil, I’m drinking with the moon
The sun is gonna find me in a pile of ruin!
Fuck you to the shadows, Fuck you to the night
I’m turning up the volume, I’m looking for a fight!
i've been walking down this road
since before i knew my name
every mile looks like the last one
every town looks just the same
got a shadow right behind me
don't know what it wants from me
all i know is i keep moving
cause standing still ain't free
dead man's road
goes on forever
dead man's road
leads back to never
i keep walking
i keep going
dead man's road
there's no way home
met a woman at the crossroads
said she'd take away my pain
i gave her everything i carried
she just disappeared in rain
now i travel even lighter
got nothing left to lose
just my boots and just my guitar
and these dead man's blues
dead man's road
goes on forever
dead man's road
leads back to never
i keep walking
i keep going
dead man's road
there's no way home
sometimes the road talks back to me
says boy you should've stayed
sometimes i almost listen
but i keep on anyway
dead man's road
goes on forever
dead man's road
leads back to never
i keep walking
i keep going
dead man's road
there's no way home
Midnight fridge
The light came on
Stood there.
Just stood there.
Thought about everything
I'd done wrong
Since roughly
...2009.
Cold pizza
Never lied to me
Unlike some people.
Unlike most things, actually.
Closed the fridge
Opened it again
opened it again
Same stuff
Same questions
Different angle.
Fridge light philosophy
Three AM degree
Everything looks clearer
When there's nothing else to see
Cold air
Warm thoughts
wrong order.
Probably fine though.
Fridge light philosophy
Leftover pasta
From last Tuesday
Still there.
Loyal.
More loyal than
Several decisions
I've made
This calendar year
Respectfully.
Dog came in
Looked at me
Looked at the fridge
Left.
Smart dog.
Second shelf has answers
Probably
probably
Behind the mustard
Haven't checked behind the mustard.
Fridge light philosophy
Three AM degree
Everything looks clearer
When there's nothing else to see
Cold air
Warm thoughts
wrong order.
Probably fine though.
Fridge light philosophy
The thing about three AM is
nobody's performing.
No audience.
Just you and
whatever's in the fridge
and the question of whether
any of it
matters.
And then you find
half a block of cheese
you forgot you bought
and somehow
somehow
that answers it.
Fridge light philosophy
Three AM degree
Everything looks clearer
When there's nothing else to see
Cold air
Warm thoughts
wrong order.
Probably fine though.
Fridge light philosophy
Fridge light philosophy...
Close the fridge.
philosophy...
...yeah.
Go to bed.
Half past eight, boots on wrong feet
Doesn't matter.
Hit the street
Tank says empty
close enough
Ha.
Day like this, you gotta love
Radio's stuck on one damn song
Been that way all week long
all week long
Fine by me
Gasoline and grin, that's how we begin
Roll the windows down, let the trouble in
Nothing's going right
good!
Everything's fine
understood!
Gasoline and grin, down the line
Dog took half my breakfast bread
Neighbour waved. Enough said.
Cold coffee, wrong turn, green light
Somehow still the best night
Shortcut ran the long way round
Best part of the day I found
found it!
Fine by me
Gasoline and grin, that's how we begin
Roll the windows down, let the trouble in
Nothing's going right
good!
Everything's fine
understood!
Gasoline and grin, down the line
Ain't much
Ain't grand
Two good feet
Steering hand
Sun's up
Road's there
That's enough.
More than fair
Gasoline and grin, that's how we begin
Roll the windows down, let the trouble in
Nothing's going right
good!
Everything's fine
understood!
Gasoline and grin, down the line
Gasoline and grin...
grin...
Down the line...
Yeah.
i've heard it all before
your reasons and your lies
i've sat across this table
watching truth die in your eyes
i'm done with the explaining
done with the back and forth
done counting all the reasons
this thing was never worth
get out
get out
get out of my head
get out
get out
i'm done with what you said
get out
get out
get out while you can
get out
i'm finally done
that's the whole plan
you had your chance
you had it twice
you had it every single time
you didn't think twice
so take your stuff
take all of it
leave the key upon the shelf
i'm better off
i'm finally off
i'm better off by myself
get out
get out
get out of my head
get out
get out
i'm done with what you said
get out
get out
get out while you can
get out
i'm finally done
that's the whole plan
I woke up with the moon in my pocket
And a matchbook grin on my face
Coffee burned like a holy little rocket
Kicking sleep out of the place
My shoes got dust, my shirt got thunder
My hair don't know how to behave
Every tiny thing keeps pulling me under
But I’m laughing all the way
I got a quarter in my coat for a lucky decision
And a whistle that can wake the rain
I make a mess with perfect precision
Then I tip my hat to the pain
If the world wants teeth
I got a smile full of knives
If the night gets mean
I come alive
If the floor drops out
I’ll be dancing in the fall
When the shadows crowd
I’m a light on the wall
I grin like trouble
I dance like sin
I got a little black magic
Underneath my skin
Hey! Hey!
Let the good times bite
I grin like trouble
And I feel alright
I feel alright
When the sparks start flyin’
I feel alright
When the blues go dyin’
I feel alright
With a wild heart hummin’
I grin like trouble
And here I come, honey
The radio coughs up a ghost in the kitchen
The fridge light crowns me king
I’m broke, I’m late, but the engine is twitching
And the whole damn day can sing
There’s a stain on the floor and a storm in the ceiling
And a grin in the crack of the door
I got a fistful of want and a full-body feeling
Like I’ve been here, but never before
I take my bad luck out for a stroll in the neon
Let it shimmy, let it shake
If the morning’s gonna try to put the heat on
I’m already wide awake
One foot on fire
One hand on luck
If heaven won’t answer
We wake it up
One word for the angels
Two for the dark
I got a red-hot spark
And a reckless heart
I grin like trouble
I dance like sin
I got a little black magic
Underneath my skin
Hey! Hey!
Let the good times bite
I grin like trouble
And I feel alright
I feel alright
When the sky comes crashing
I feel alright
With the bass still thrashing
I feel alright
Let the whole room tumble
I grin like trouble
Hear me rumble, rumble
Step in – lights out – no delay
Heart beats – faster – no replay
No talk – no plan – just go
Feel it rise – let it blow
Hey – don’t slow it down
Hey – hit the ground
HIT THE GROUND RUNNING
NO TIME FOR NOTHING
TURN IT UP – KEEP IT LOUD
DON’T THINK – JUST SHOUT
HIT THE GROUND RUNNING
NO TIME FOR CONTROL
FEEL THE NOISE IN YOUR CHEST
LET IT TAKE YOUR SOUL
Fast feet – no stop – no break
Every move – feels like a quake
No rules – no line – no safe
All in – no time to wait
Hey – don’t slow it down
Hey – shake the ground
HIT THE GROUND RUNNING
NO TIME FOR NOTHING
TURN IT UP – KEEP IT LOUD
DON’T THINK – JUST SHOUT
HIT THE GROUND RUNNING
NO TIME FOR CONTROL
FEEL THE NOISE IN YOUR CHEST
LET IT TAKE YOUR SOUL
Clap – stomp – lose control
Clap – stomp – let it roll
HIT THE GROUND RUNNING
NO TIME FOR NOTHING
TURN IT UP – KEEP IT LOUD
DON’T THINK – JUST SHOUT
i sat down on the floor today
for no particular reason
just needed to feel something solid
underneath the season
the ceiling looked the same as always
the light came through the blinds
funny how the world keeps going
when you're losing your mind
i made some tea i didn't drink
i wrote some words i didn't send
i picked up my guitar and sat there
couldn't play it in the end
just held it like it meant something
just held it like it could
remind me who i was before
i lost the things i should
hollow
not broken
just hollow
the kind of empty
that has edges
the kind of quiet
that has weight
hollow
not broken
just hollow
just waiting for it
to be okay
i called someone and hung up
before it even rang
i wasn't ready for the answer
to whatever question sang
so i just sat there with the silence
let it do what silence does
slowly fill the empty spaces
with the echo of what was
hollow
not broken
just hollow
the kind of empty
that has edges
the kind of quiet
that has weight
hollow
not broken
just hollow
just waiting for it
to be okay
it always passes
it always does
it always passes
it always was
Winter's coming close, the air is getting cold
Reaching for a jacket that is ten years old
Heavy denim collar, smelling like tobacco smoke
Last time that I wore it, I was flat-out broke
Shove my freezing hands deep into the right side
Looking for a lighter or a place to hide
But my fingers hit paper, wrinkled and small
Oh, sweet mama, I’m the king of the hall!
Jacket pocket gold! A twenty dollar bill!
Suddenly I’m standing on the top of the hill
Forgot that I had it, forgot it was there
Now I’m walking down the street like a millionaire!
Yeah, jacket pocket gold!
It’s a dirty little note, all twisted and torn
But it looks much better than the day it was born
I didn't have to sweat, didn't work for the pay
Just a little time capsule making my day
Now I’m rich as a tycoon, heading for the bar
Gonna buy a cheap drink, gonna feel like a star
The sun is shining brighter on this side of the town
With twenty bucks of freedom, nobody brings me down!
Jacket pocket gold! A twenty dollar bill!
Suddenly I’m standing on the top of the hill
Forgot that I had it, forgot it was there
Now I’m walking down the street like a millionaire!
You can keep your investments, your Wall Street gold
Nothing beats the magic that my fingers hold
A little hidden treasure from the ghost of my past
And you can bet your bottom dollar I’m gonna spend it fast!
Jacket pocket gold! A twenty dollar bill!
Suddenly I’m standing on the top of the hill
Forgot that I had it, forgot it was there
Now I’m walking down the street like a millionaire!
Drinks on me tonight! ...Well, just one drink.
My pocket's got the treasure.
Yeah, keep the change!
the news said it's over
i turned the TV off
poured myself a double
and i started to rock
the neighbours are screaming
the sky's turning red
might as well be dancing
when you're already dead
what's the point in worrying
what's the point in fear
when the world is ending baby
might as well be here
last party on earth
let's make it count
last party on earth
no going back now
the walls are coming down
the lights are going out
last party on earth
let's scream and shout
let's scream and shout
called up all my friends
said get over here
brought everything they had
we ran out of beer
someone brought a drumkit
someone brought a amp
we're playing till the power cuts
we're playing till it's damp
what's the point in worrying
what's the point in fear
when the world is ending baby
might as well be here
last party on earth
let's make it count
last party on earth
no going back now
the walls are coming down
the lights are going out
last party on earth
let's scream and shout
let's scream and shout
the president said something
i couldn't hear a word
the music was too loud
and honestly preferred
someone kissed a stranger
someone broke a chair
someone's on the rooftop
screaming i don't care
[Guitar Solo]
last party on earth
let's make it count
last party on earth
no going back now
the walls are coming down
the lights are going out
last party on earth
let's scream and shout
let's scream and shout
they crawled out from the basement
with their flags and with their hate
said they had the answers
said it wasn't yet too late
same old tired faces
same old poison song
funny how the stupid
think they've known it all along
we've seen this movie before
we know exactly how it ends
we've buried this thing twice already
here we go again
same old ugly
different day
same old cowards
different way
you can march and you can shout
you can wave your flags around
same old ugly
going down
same old ugly
hitting the ground
they talk about the good times
of a time that never was
a golden age of nothing
built on hate because
history's a mirror
and it doesn't ever lie
but somehow they keep missing
what is staring them in the eye
we've seen this movie before
we know exactly how it ends
we've buried this thing twice already
here we go again
same old ugly
different day
same old cowards
different way
you can march and you can shout
you can wave your flags around
same old ugly
going down
same old ugly
hitting the ground
i'd say i'm surprised
but i'd be lying
i'd say i'm impressed
but come on
you're not even trying
same playbook
same fear
same small men
same idea
we beat this before
we'll beat it again
it's just exhausting
that's all
[Guitar Solo]
same old ugly
different day
same old cowards
different way
you can march and you can shout
you can wave your flags around
same old ugly
going down
same old ugly
hitting the ground
she moves like trouble in slow motion
like smoke across the floor
every room she walks into
wants a little more
she doesn't try to do it
it just comes out that way
the kind of woman that you think about
for the rest of the day
she's got that thing
can't put a name to it
she's got that pull
can't walk away from it
slow burn
taking all night
slow burn
feeling just right
low and rolling
dark and sweet
slow burn
knocking me off my feet
she ordered something simple
looked complicated doing it
leaned back like she had all the time
and all the world could wait a bit
i tried to play it cool
i probably failed
she smiled like she already knew
exactly what that smile entailed
she's got that thing
can't put a name to it
she's got that pull
can't walk away from it
slow burn
taking all night
slow burn
feeling just right
low and rolling
dark and sweet
slow burn
knocking me off my feet
no rush
no hurry
nowhere to be
just this
just her
just the heat
[Guitar Solo]
slow burn
taking all night
slow burn
feeling just right
low and rolling
dark and sweet
slow burn
knocking me off my feet
i've been down every road this album walked
i've been the swagger and the wreck
i've been the engine running empty
i've been the rope around my neck
i've been the anger and the ashes
i've been the hollow and the drive
i've been every single version
of a man who just survives
but here's the thing about surviving
here's the thing they never say
you don't come back the same as always
you come back a different way
still standing
after everything
still standing
after all of it
i'm not the same man that i started as
but i'm still here
still standing
still lit
i've driven through the night alone
i've sat down on the floor
i've screamed into the nothing
till my throat was raw and sore
i've felt the slow burn take me under
felt the cold creep through my bones
but every single morning
i woke up and made it home
and here's the thing about surviving
here's the thing they never say
you don't come back the same as always
you come back a different way
still standing
after everything
still standing
after all of it
i'm not the same man that i started as
but i'm still here
still standing
still lit
every road leads somewhere
every wound leaves something
every night eventually
lets the morning in
every engine running
every 3 am driving
every hollow moment
was just the beginning
[Instrumental]
still standing
after everything
still standing
after all of it
i'm not the same man that i started as
but i'm still here
still standing
still lit
still standing
after everything
still standing
after all of it
i'm not the same man that i started as
but i'm still here
still standing
still lit
i'm done playing by the rules
that nobody ever made
i'm done smiling at the faces
of the people getting paid
every system every structure
built to keep you in your place
i'm done swallowing the silence
i'm done keeping up the pace
something's burning in my chest
something's finally breaking free
you can keep your empty promises
you don't own a piece of me
tear it down
tear it all down
burn the whole thing to the ground
tear it down
tear it all down
let the walls come crashing down
i'm done
i'm through
i'm finished with you
tear it down
i've been quiet for too long now
watched it rot from inside out
every word they ever fed me
tasted just like dust and doubt
i've been carrying their dead weight
on a back that's nearly broke
i'm throwing off the chains now
i'm done choking on their smoke
something's burning in my chest
something's finally breaking free
you can keep your empty promises
you don't own a piece of me
tear it down
tear it all down
burn the whole thing to the ground
tear it down
tear it all down
let the walls come crashing down
i'm done
i'm through
i'm finished with you
tear it down
i tried to make it work
i tried to play it straight
i tried to find the good in it
but good came way too late
[Guitar Solo]
tear it down
tear it all down
burn the whole thing to the ground
tear it down
tear it all down
let the walls come crashing down
i'm done
i'm through
i'm finished with you
tear it down
it started in the morning
with a low and steady hum
by the time the sun went under
couldn't make it stop or come
something in the wiring
something in the bone
the engine just keeps running
even when i'm all alone
it won't stop
it won't quit
it won't bend
it won't sit
the engine keeps running
the engine keeps running
through the dark and through the day
the engine keeps running
the engine keeps running
it was never meant to stop anyway
i tried to find the off switch
tried to slow it to a crawl
every time i thought i had it
hit another wall
maybe i was built this way
maybe this is just the deal
the engine doesn't ask me
how i think or how i feel
it won't stop
it won't quit
it won't bend
it won't sit
the engine keeps running
the engine keeps running
through the dark and through the day
the engine keeps running
the engine keeps running
it was never meant to stop anyway
just the hum
just the pulse
just the beat
just the drive
just the hum
just the pulse
still alive
the engine keeps running
the engine keeps running
through the dark and through the day
the engine keeps running
the engine keeps running
it was never meant to stop anyway
you took the years i had
before i knew they're gone
you took the face i wore
before i could hold on
you took the people standing
right beside me in the light
turned around and they were older
turned around and lost the fight
nobody asked
nobody warned
nobody said
it takes everything
thief
running with my years
thief
nobody interferes
you rob me while i'm sleeping
you rob me while i'm awake
thief
taking everything
thief
more than i can take
you turned my fast into slow
my sharp into a blur
you took the edge i had
before i knew what edges were
i've been chasing every second
trying to get back what you stole
but you're always one step further
always deeper in the hole
nobody asked
nobody warned
nobody said
it takes everything
thief
running with my years
thief
nobody interferes
you rob me while i'm sleeping
you rob me while i'm awake
thief
taking everything
thief
more than i can take
i can't fight it
i can't outrun it
i can't buy it back
i can't become it
all i've got
is right now
and right now
you're already stealing that
[Guitar Solo]
thief
running with my years
thief
nobody interferes
you rob me while i'm sleeping
you rob me while i'm awake
thief
taking everything
thief
more than i can take
Hit the store with a pocket of change
Found my size on the last-back rack
Walked out like I’d just won the league
Cheap shoes
But I’m never going back
Every little break
Feels like a headline
Yeah I’ll cut the cake
If I just make it on time
It’s a tiny victory parade
For a parking spot and a bill I paid
Raise a coffee cup like champagne
I’m the king of the almost-made
Yeah
It’s a tiny victory parade
For a message read and a call that stayed
Fireworks in my ribcage
For the smallest win I’ve ever claimed
Got a text
Said “proud of you”
From a friend that I thought I lost
Took a pic of my one-room view
Like a penthouse on a paper cost
Every little spark
Feels like a spotlight
I don’t need the charts
Just a good day in my own life
It’s a tiny victory parade
For the rent this month somehow paid
Raise a plastic cup like it’s aged
I’m the king of the almost-made
Yeah
It’s a tiny victory parade
For a job that called me back today
Fireworks in my ribcage
For the smallest win I’ve ever claimed
I used to wait for some big sign
Gold confetti from the sky
Now I dance when I’m on time
To my own small lullaby (hey!)
It’s a tiny victory parade
For a quiet mind and a plan I made
Raise a battered heart unafraid
I’m the king of the almost-made
Yeah
It’s a tiny victory parade
Every breath I take
Every step I fake
Fireworks in my ribcage
For the smallest win I’ll ever claim
she walks in like she owns the place
doesn't even look around
every head just turns to follow
every jaw just hits the ground
i've been burnt before by women
who smiled exactly like that
but here i am again
picking up my hat
i know exactly where this goes
i've read this book before
but something about the way she moves
just makes me want some more
trouble looks good on you
trouble looks good on me
let's make a little trouble
see what we can be
trouble looks good tonight
trouble feels just right
come on let's burn it down
till the morning light
she laughed and said i looked familiar
like someone she once knew
i said honey i'm an original
there ain't nobody like me too
she leaned across the table
said prove it if you can
next thing i know we're running
across the parking lot hand in hand
i know exactly where this goes
i've read this book before
but something about the way she moves
just makes me want some more
trouble looks good on you
trouble looks good on me
let's make a little trouble
see what we can be
trouble looks good tonight
trouble feels just right
come on let's burn it down
till the morning light
[Guitar Solo]
trouble looks good on you
trouble looks good on me
let's make a little trouble
see what we can be
trouble looks good tonight
trouble feels just right
come on let's burn it down
till the morning light
the house is quiet now
the way it always is
i pour another coffee
that i'll probably never finish
the coat still on the hook
the shoes still by the door
i keep them there on purpose
don't ask me what for
i tell myself i'm fine
i tell myself it's over
i tell myself the weight
gets lighter getting older
what's left of me
is still standing here
what's left of me
is still holding on
i'm not broken
just a little bent
what's left of me
keeps moving on
i drove past where we used to go
on sundays after rain
the parking lot was empty
everything looked just the same
funny how a place can hold
the ghost of what you were
i sat there for a moment
then i drove on like before
i tell myself i'm fine
i tell myself it's over
i tell myself the weight
gets lighter getting older
what's left of me
is still standing here
what's left of me
is still holding on
i'm not broken
just a little bent
what's left of me
keeps moving on
maybe this is just what living feels like
after everything burns down
maybe standing in the ashes
is the same as solid ground
what's left of me
is still standing here
what's left of me
is still holding on
i'm not broken
just a little bent
what's left of me
keeps moving on
