We brought the light, we kept you warm We fed on every word you worn And now we die and now we leave See the seeds bloom into a shelter Please use it, please take care 'Cause now we die and you will live And yes for a while the waves will keep on coming back Hurting bad, washing away the last bits of our faith We brought the light, we kept you warm We fed on every word you worn But someone someday will join you On the rocky shore they will join you And you’ll dip your feet in the crystal seas And for a while you’ll stay safe from the burning sun Hug your friends, today’s a gate Cry a smile, tomorrow is great Brother tell them the sorrow will fade Sister take all their fears away I hope she was right

I woke up in a silent house Feeling stuck with nowhere to go Picked up a chair, threw it at the window But ended up surrounded on the floor And I don't know how I stood up and just started talking Took my place among the screaming and laughing As the noise grows my heartbeat fade But somehow I still keep going And I don't know how Surrounded by friends and family It's still getting hard to breathe Otherness is killing me And I'm finding no relief Otherness is killing me Please I need someone to help me 'Cause otherness is killing me With everyone starring at me I feel like my worst enemy I see you standing in a corner A way out at my last hour But I don't know how How I could ever let you help me With all my fucking trust issues Otherness is killing me But damn loneliness is too Otherness is killing me Please I need someone to help me 'Cause otherness is killing me A big house Some broken glass An empty chair You and I But early in the morning I may find you in my bed Even if I slept on the floor And we can talk about our feelings And I'm not sure if I need more

I sent you a story about a heat wave in Chicago And how alone we are, how screwed we are And I know it will break your heart, like it did mine And I'll wait for days for you to answer me If you'll even answer me Maybe you'll think that I'm pitying you, that I'm being cruel That I feel so much better than you do Well, maybe I do 'Cause you got fucked by the very thing You thought made you strong Now you're sitting in your living room And the temperature is rising Everything slows down, you get quiet The way you always do But now there's nobody here To ask "what the hell is wrong with you" You started to lose it at age 25 New jobs, new cities, new lives But you had been pushing them away for a while Do you even know why? 'Cause I'm sure it did break your heart, like it did mine And I always get mad when you get hurt Can you even make it stop? It's hard to know just how much people care about you Harder to know how much you can love them How much you can tell them Maybe you sent me that story about the heat wave in Chicago 'Cause I'm worrying about you And maybe that story is not about the way I feel With the blinds closed and the windows opened Because no matter how noisy the streets are It's always louder in your head and you've got to get it out When everything in your living room is on fire You start singing at yourself just to get it out And even though we don't talk much anymore Even though we're not burning the same way You're still in my heart So as the song says Call your parents when you think of them And just tell your friends, oh just tell them

I'm taking the night bus number eight It's just a few blocks away Are you leaving now? Do you want me to wait? You're going back to your place Your blood's pumping, no tears, all sweat You wanted for the night to last a bit longer You could've stay and miss this bus There's another one in 20 minutes But what's the point? You ask So you chose to run You've always been so reasonable You're not even crazy about her You just don't know any better So let's put Drake on You're on your worst behavior 4 am on a saturday You can't do much better You just wanted to show everyone You just don't know any better How close you two still are 4 am on a saturday You can grab your notepad And pretend you're a songwriter It's a 40 minutes ride But you still tried too hard You still stayed too late What a waste of time Why did you wait? Why did you wait? Poptimist bullshit as an excuse To indulge yourself You better stop smilling And keep prentending You're reading some text You weren't even having a good time You just don't know any better So let's put Drake on You're on your worst behavior 4 am on a saturday You can't do much better You just wanted to show everyone You just don't know any better How cool you think you are 4 am on a saturday You can grab your notepad And pretend you're a songwriter

"I've never heard a John Prine song" He tells his mother-in-law to be "Aren't you supposed to write about music" She replies gently "He's the only thing That still makes us feel like a family" He has never heard a John Prine song Now his fiancee is looking at him funny She gave him two songs to listen One about loss, one about old age They played the first one at her father's funeral He sang it himself at their daughter's birth And then again at their daughter's funeral He likes the second one too "I had never heard any of your songs" He tells John Prine "But now I carry them with me all the time" The old singer listen to his story Before telling his own Of love lost, a bad divorce Of love found, a life well-lived And it doesn't matter if those are different stories 'Cause the song remains the same And for his son birth, he chose John Prine again But I've never heard a John Prine song Maybe I've not lost enough I'm sure as Hell I've loved enough And I'm not dead yet, or old yet But my bones feel like sand My body is an island I reach across the ocean Metaphores fail me I think I'll just try to listen To see if everthing's ok, if everything's cool If everthing's ok, if everything's cool

I'm taking the next train out of Paris Someone is waiting for me I see an old man in a sharp suit With a tatoo on his wrist And he's strugling with his cellphone Oh when did things get so complicated Even the greats get old He gets no attention From the three teenage girls In their blue football kits Talking with their hands The security gard in a tight shirt Sitting in front of me Is trying hard not to be noticed While he's starring at their soundless lips Even the biggests get impressed It's ringing, the doors are closing Old man you have to stand up For the couple coming through They're kissing and celebrating Just put your back against the door And let go of your memories I'm taking the next train I hope someone's waiting for me Too much noise, too many people around me I hope my body disappears So I'm taking the next train I hope someone's waiting for me Too much noise, too many people around me I hope my body disappears

Funny how destiny made you sit Right in this restaurant on Jonas street You looked well and I'm glad 'Cause your smile seemed sincere I couldn't help but listen to your conversation I heared that you handled all the issues you had I would have bet on it You've always made me hopeful And I have always been so proud of you Funny how destiny made that kid Get up and come to me and ask for my name You called him back, told me you were sorry for this You didn't really look at me, you never did Now I see the way you look at them and I think it's all right Life keeps going and I'm so proud of you You've always made me hopeful And I have always been so proud of you That kid looks just like you and for sure he'll be great like you You left holding his hand, you are kindness and care You've always made me hopeful And I have always been so proud of you

I only wake up each morning to see if this is the day I'm gonna find a good reason to wake up the next day I should find a better bed 'Cause my back is killing me Maybe I'll buy a new one I just wanna sleep But if I don't stand up How will I earn enough enough To buy a new one So I can sleep better Stop feeling so tired So I can earn enough to... Well fuck me I only hang out with my friends To see if I can meet the new friends of my old friends The better friends But I don't think I can Start all over again I just don't have the energy I should make some changes in my life Maybe I'll start running to work Maybe I'll accept to go out On a Wednesday night and attempt to stop being a stranger forever Maybe I'll even try to talk Or maybe I'll go online and meet local boys With boring pictures of the same fucking cliffs

I know that it's been a while Since the last time we saw each other We moved around, we cut our hair And we're looking good You started a new job Finally I got my own place You should come and take a look Some day, if you want Maybe I shouldn't ask Maybe I should just let it go 'Cause what's on my mind Has not always been on yours But can you remember That last time we saw each other Or is it just a blur? Well you know We were young We were young Oh so young We were young You went your own way I didn't want you to stay I wasn't sure If things would be okay You went your own way I didn't want you to stay I wasn't sure If things would be okay We going our own way As fast we can And maybe things Will work out in the end You went your own way I didn't want you to stay I wasn't sure If things would be okay It was a sunny but cold afternoon In February in our hometown And we were probably wearing Some clothes we bought to one another Baggage we got from one another But you don't think it's all bad Did you look back, just a glimpse, just one last time I know I asked, I know what I said But did you just walk away In those streets that saw us growing up Me I went back to our house Would you have helped me back up? I quickly learned how to be by myself Did you figure it out? There's still work to be done and the hardest part Is to know when to stop So anyway, that's what I've been up to And it feels nice just to talk to you The only way forward is still through Took me some time But I've been writings songs Yeah it's a shame I had to wait this long Without you around it feels kind of wrong The chords come easy A decade of purposeless noise in my bedroom A couple of years of singing Jens' songs in our living room It's finally paying off Yeah it's finally paying off The words are still harder to get out I've been borrowing some of them But they don't feel right Teenage years and punk rock songs, and gender politics I guess I'm too old to be resentful And I can't thank you enough for that I found comfort in songs about god About grief, Pablo, Norman and Carrie Low lights and acceptance of oneself In buddhist love songs for Tibetan pop star We found comfort in other people's faith For the loss of our own history So anyway, that's what I've been up to And it feels nice just to talk to you The only way forward is still through Took me some time But I wrote this song I think I needed to wait this long And I hope this one won't feel wrong I was stuck in my own head And you weren't around anymore To help me escape Be my Mister Miracle Too many stories And I know, not all of them were good But I've waited too long Can't afford to pick and choose So I'll write like I talk Probably too much And I'll sing, and I'll sing 'Till my voice drowns out my thoughts So anyway, what have you been up to? Do you even remember The first time we saw each other Bad hair, bad skin, barely done Yet bored and alone Do you still think about Thoses years, those broken teenagers Or is it just a blur? Yeah we were young We were young Oh so young We were young