The War

In the cold
We spent the night
On the floor
With the great old pines
When the storm came alive
I took your hand
And I closed my eyes…
And you cut your hair
And you broke the mirror
The one that we shared
Then you moved away
To another time
I was always there
But you were always fine
The faces up on the wall
Do they protect us
If we should fall
The faces up on the wall
Do they protect us
If we should fall
In the war
We were sent overseas
We were both seventeen
But we crossed our eyes
And we lost our tease
And they took our hands
(tell me on the way home)
And they bound our feet
(I loved it when you said that)
For another road
(Even when we lost you)
To another defeat
(I knew you’d always come back)
And I was still shaking
With the words that you said
When you told me that we would
Always be friends
The faces up on the wall
Do they protect us
If we should fall
The faces up on the wall
Do they protect us
If we should fall
In a home
Something like you’d have had
I’m a father
But I’ll never be their dad
When I take their hands
I imagine they’re yours
Like it’s the house that raised us
Its shivering floors
And I’m still waiting
For that storm to die
'Cause I know that it’s your way
Of saying goodbye