Struck A Nerve

There’s an old man on a city bus holding a candy cane
And it isn’t even Christmas
He sees a note in the obituary that his last friend has died
[There's an infant clinging to his overweight mother in the cold
As they go to shop for cigarettes
As she spends her last dollar on a bottle of vodka for tonight
And I guess it struck a nerve
Like I had to squint my eyes
You can never get out of the line of sight
Like a barren winter day
Or a patch of unburned green
Like a tragic real dream
I guess it struck a nerve
Every day I wander in negative disposition
As I’m bombarded by superlatives
Realizing very well that I am not alone
Introverted I look to tomorrow for salvation
But I’m thinking altruistically
And a wave of overwhelming doubt turns me to stone
And I guess it struck a nerve
Sent a murmur through my heart
We just haven’t got time to crack the maze
Like a magic speeding clock
Or a cancer in our cells
A collision in the dark
I guess it struck a nerve
I try to close my eyes
But I cannot ignore the stimuli
If there’s a purpose for us all
It remains a secret to me
Don’t ask me to justify my life
Cause I guess it struck a nerve
Like I had to squint my eyes
You can never get out of the line of sight
Like a magic speeding clock
Or a cancer in our cells
A collision in the dark
I guess it struck a nerve