the kids they're undressing long past the last light
threading through tank tops and taking off tights
just to flirt with the feelings that aren't worth the fight
as they toss themselves into the noise

and the kids they're all yelling and screaming i'm told
the pure incredulity of growing old
so for now they employ recreational cold
to fend off their futures and fate
at least til they graduate

so go jump the lake if you want to
go love every living thing there
but you won't find me there

the kids they're all sipping each other like wine
they found in the basement next to turpentine
on the paint splattered tool shelf of thin metal sheets
upturn those young drinks and repeat

and the kids they're all loving each other so well
but the clear eyes on campus say we're going to hell
so our promised damnation should make this feel better
but our hears burst right through our sweaters

and the kids they're all stretching their bodies and minds
and waking up strangers in twin beds entwined
with their past selves' potential and awkward first tries
all stitched together with lies that they find

on the parchment of campus one block west of high
where we show off ourselves and shrug off the uptight
and the well dressed composers of crumpled up lines
we highlight cross out and tattoo

so go take that leap if you need to
and show bashful wants when it's right
but mine i'll wad up and i'll bounce them against
the wall that we share every night

and the kids they call learners sit sleepless tonight
plain terrified of the thought that they hide
from their fine young acquaintances cheering outside
in the night in the night always in the night

they say how can we know we know all that we know
cause with each passing day oh i grow and i grow
more and more lost i'm told
til i'm told til i'm told
i'm repeating myself again

so whether or not a storm is in store
more sure than the soot in the water i pour
in the depths of my pottery bitterness absorbs
and it blackens the collar of the sink

he says why do i hide if i want to be seen
just hoping for extroverts peeking though screens
to knock on my window or the chipping front door
and prop me up on the wall

and say we haven't met before
but your face makes me want to know more
and i'm sure that you feel the same thing when i say

i grow more unsure by the day
and your home is so poorly maintained
and no i don't want to be this vain
and i know you're not seeking out praise but
you have such a comforting face

you have such a comforting face