Time stops

Stars die

And we all lie

Cheat death

Burn

Steal

The voids great seal

Merit of dark days

He lives

He pays

Scattered thoughts in the dark

Searching for the last spark

I can’t wait for you to tell me

This was all a savage nightmare

Thoughts unravel into past lives

Intervals of a silent cold stare

Light bends and breaks across the frame

Death from the sky now joins the game

Buried in the dirt without a name

This always ends the fucking same

From the grave to the edge of time

The brave must break this paradigm

Beaten and broken we must climb

This will be our final crime

The rain will fall and wash away

The relics of our final day

Echoes of those left astray

With our lives we now must pay

Death is no longer what we fear

Too ignorant to see things clear

The stage is set for extinction year

Silent applause for one last tear

Crypts lie open for us all

With arrogance we will fall

Delirium begins to crawl

This will be the end of us all

Architects of our dying light

Leave us now to face this fight

Human nature cast in spite

Nothing will ever be set right

Relics break

World’s burn

Creators take their final turn

Fragments scar

Fictions fade

Our end is man made

The sun always sets far earlier than you want it to

The late light hides a cold truth

A paraphrased family of ill chosen words

Huddled for warmth just behind my teeth

In the dark spaces where they reside

Waiting like dancers in the wings

Watching for their cue

Some days seem to drag on forever

Sometimes a bad week seems like an eternity

But as sure as the stars in the sky I promise you

That they will all come to an end eventually

And when the time comes

Will you look back and be satisfied with how you spent it?

I find solace in the words of well meaning fiends

Which may very well include myself

The safeties and hazards of leading me astray

Far outweigh the less than benign ignorance of a world gone mad

But I will start this all again

Until it burns to breathe

Until my lungs collapse

I will be right here

Quietly laughing to myself

Pretending it's all going to be okay

Why does the darkness flow

So much more easily than the light?

Perhaps it's a defense mechanism

My body telling me that I have too much hate

Too much anger

Too much fear

Too much sadness built up in my bones

My vessel purging itself through unhappy words

and less than ideal situations

I cross my fingers and hope that it's working

Pitter patter preen and pine

One final evening splayed out divine

Laid to rest under a docile wave

A eulogy writhes in the absence of the grave

A mist of red beheld a ray of blue

The heartfelt silence of an “I love you”

Tossed overboard to pay my dues

To the ocean floor in concrete shoes

Try as I may and try as I might

The only constant left is the bitter endless night

Forever and eternal now comes to a close

A lost little sparrow in a murder of crows

Vagrant and voracious and indelibly unkind

A past life lived begins to unwind

Masked in the torment of complacency and contempt

Birds of a feather cast a befallen last attempt

Crashing to the Earth as a marble stone hand

Reaches toward the sunset of a far off distant land

Nails and nuance cleaned silver and neat

The corpse of tomorrow lies under all our feet

Barbed wire fences stretch down this dirt road

All the way to the dusty iron gates that hold back

The secrets of an ill regarded graveyard

A space of well intentioned headstones that lie in wait

For the paranoia of the seasons to come to an end

Late spring flies gather and swarm

Between shadows of the passing years

In nonsensical terms this all makes perfect sense

Innocence

In a sense

Lost through time

Revoked beauty held hidden just beneath the surface

Blood runs from the trees down through the roots

The buds of a pale future drown in the soil

Before they will ever have the chance to bloom

Nothing will survive the coming days

But we should be so lucky for the chance to start again

Part I.

Heroes of Bad Timing

It’s hard to sleep quietly, it hurts to be awake

And every day that I stay here is a day I can’t take

I sat alone and thought about the nights in this room

How was I supposed to know that this how is a tomb?

This town is a graveyard, the skeletons walk by

The wind blows in and brings the tears from the sky

I hate to feel lonely but the drinks numb the pain

The front door is locked and I’m left in the rain

Just two fucked up people, this life is so strange

I’m still apologizing for shit I can’t change

A pair of broken hearts sewn together you see

I wish I could’ve been who you needed me to be

A candle light burns out, the smoke rises up

I gave you all I had but it was never enough

Part II.

You Had Me At Divorce

There was a time when I would have believed every little word that you said

Every single lie that slipped past your teeth and dug itself into my head

Summer nights spent under the lights of the stars shining down

If I had to choose between your lies or your truths, I think I would rather drown

Like a Ferris wheel of tears and betrayal, you are the conductor of my sins

Around in circles we go, guess it just goes to show that love never wins

If you can’t take the honesty then the door’s over there

The light stretches out and touches your hair

Darling you never were one to fight fair

But if you can’t keep your clothes on when I’m not around

Then there’s nothing left for you here

There was a time when you would tell me you loved me

And I knew that you actually meant it

I think all the time about the times that we shared

And how we could’ve both better spent it

That Ferris wheel of our life is rusting at the hinges

Up and down, turned around

Two hearts pushed to the fringes

You loved me from time to time, but I loved you every time

Every time you lied, I died for you

And every time you cried, I died for you

And every time I tried to make things right, it was just never good enough for you

Til death do us part may come sooner than you might think

Part III.

Coffins and County Lines

You were the love of my life, but one little fight

And one big mistake, I got out of the state

And no one is ever going to see you again

I didn’t think I would get very far

I’m three states away; you’re in the trunk of my car

Next to a shovel and a bag of regrets

I’m certain now it’s as bad as it gets

This is a story that’s as old as time

Boy meets girl and commits a terrible crime

I pass through town after town as the panic sinks in

I’ve heard that in love you can just never win

How in the hell did we end up like this?

My mind only wishes for one last cold kiss

I take a left and drive down a dirt road

I can still hear your heartbeat like a haunting Morse code

I pull you from the trunk and wrap you in a plastic sheet

I slip your favorite shoes back onto your feet

I grab the shovel and begin to dig your grave

The necklace I bought you is the one thing I’ll save

I lay you in the ground and throw dirt in the hole

Your dead eyes stare up and burn right through my soul

I never knew that love could be so unfair

I know that I killed you; it doesn’t mean I don’t care

Alone in the woods as the rain starts to fall

Your blood on my hands makes my skin start to crawl

Oh how I crave one more word from your voice

The stream washed away the evidence of my choice

I look in the rear view and see the ghost of you

I look myself in the eye, what the fuck did I do?

I leave this place behind me as I drive away

The sun rises up to start a new day

I know you can hear me so I say this to you

I love you so much, now what the hell do I do?

I miss the cobwebs of your heart

Part IV.

Last Few Desperate Hours

Route 375, on this endless stretch of highway

The silhouettes of the distant mountains etched across the sky

Under the mid day Nevada sun

Mile marker 51

The days feel like daggers, the miles feel like anchors

Pulling me down and drowning me in all the bad things I’ve done

Pulled in this direction, like a self coerced confession

As I try to drive away from the face in the rear view

The dry air pours through the vents

Like the soul of the desert trying to stop my lungs

It feels like suffocation and a bit too much to drink

Your heartbeat in my ears makes it hard for me to think

Anymore

I see a little motel on the dusty horizon

I get a terrified comforting feeling that it might be my last stop

On this endless stretch of highway

I pull over, kill the engine, and nervously check in

Take my key, room number 4

On the bottom floor

Just past the vending machine

Lock the door, draw the curtains

To hide myself from the sunlight

Hang a blanket over the mirror

To hide myself from myself

I think what scares me the most

Is the chance that I might not get caught

I curl up on the floor next to the bed, and drift off from exhaustion

I dream of sirens coming to take me away

Only to wake up to the sound of my own breath

And nothing more

The neon sign out front cuts through the thin gap in the curtains

And illuminates the bed where you sit and watch me

With those beautiful dead eyes

In the last few desperate hours of my life

My mind collapses in upon itself

In the first few amazing days when we first met

I could list a thousand things I loved about you

Now look where we are

If I could go back and do it all again

I think I would do the exact same thing

You can’t change how people are

I couldn’t change how you were

But I loved you

I still love you

I take the revolver out of my bag

The one that I used to kill you

Check the cylinder

Raise it to my head

Take a deep breath

I’m coming back to you

In the last few quiet seconds of my life

I feel fine

Your necklace slips from my hand and hits the floor

As the morning light claws its way through the curtains

Just two fucked up people

Reunited for eternity

For better or worse has come and gone

The Earth breathed a sigh of relief

It is done.

Part I.

Outlaws in Love

Stumble down the alley screaming like a siren

How is anyone to know?

Grab your guns, load up and run

Let’s give these people a show

Stab the heart; grab the key to the city

Speak in tongues like a drunken sage

Let’s drive around, let’s get fucked up

As we burn every other page

We are just outlaws in love, the ones you never knew

Outlaws in love, we’re not afraid of you

Heroes of the weak, the ones you’ve written off

Villains of the bleak, you wanna sit and talk

We will bring you down, we’re gonna take this town

Outlaws to the end, it’s always been enough for us

On the outskirts of the city of Desperation

Ella and Jake rule the suburbs of the Dead

The reluctant king and queen of desolation

Would rather put a bullet through the back of their fuckin’ head

Part II.

City of Desperation

Passionately reciprocated love and disillusion

I’d rather drill a hole through my head than buy in to your delusion

We gotta tear this place apart to make way for our new kingdom

You and me together we shall rise now to destroy them

A war of attrition in the hearts and minds of the ones with no resolution

This contention from the outskirts brings the end of your bullshit union

I stand accused for the sins of my father

I’ll do it myself like I always do so don’t even fucking bother

Part III.

King and Queen

In the city of Desperation where nobody knows our name

We stare at these lonely people

Everybody is to blame

We stand over everything we hate

But this town will soon be ours

I took a bullet for my lover and will proudly wear the scars

I dug the bullet out myself

And put it on a chain

Hung it around my neck

And I now control the rain

The heart of this town is in the palm of my hand

And I don’t wanna hear you say my name again

Say my name again

Part IV.

The Heist and the Hostage

Kick the door in

Shoot the cameras

Lay flat on the fucking ground

I have duct tape and zip ties for the next person who makes a sound

Load up the money; you can close your eyes honey

Just do as I say and stand

You’re doin’ real good but if you reach for that button

You’re gonna lose that fuckin’ hand

We found our lucky winner of the 12 gauge lottery

And it’s almost that time but you’re gonna be fine

Just don’t fucking move

Part V.

Suburbs of the Dead

A semi-automatic lullaby to ease our troubled thoughts

Our empire in the golden age of empty parking lots

Blood and broken promises line the streets where we now roam

Pour the gas and light the match

We’ll send these motherfuckers home

Throw a Molotov cocktail party for the Rich Ones

Fire in their eyes as they watch their houses burn

Kneel before the court of the broke and lost sons

It’s time for the Dead to rise and take their turn

Board up the doors and windows

And hide yourselves from this town

You can pray all you want but your god is dead

Ella and Jake are the ones who shot him down

Part VI.

Outlaw Reprise

Man made mass confusion rules the mindless

Unmarked graves reserved for the spineless

We all stood up and overthrew the crown of blood and broken glass

Paranoia bleeds from the shameless

No life worth living left for the faceless

Tear us down and leave us to die

We have already won

We are just outlaws in love, the ones you never knew

Outlaws in love, we’re not afraid of you

Heroes of the weak, the ones you’ve written off

Villains of the bleak, you wanna sit and talk

We will bring you down, we’re gonna take this town

Outlaws to the end, it’s always been enough for us

Laying wide awake in the quiet darkness

The air is warm and thick and I am calm

I count the plastic stars stuck to my ceiling

Each one represents a dream or two

The clock reads 2:16

The leaves begin to change from green to gold

I watch the seasons pass by from my window

Far too scared to go outside alone

I get pretty sentimental as the time goes by

And I want you to know just how much you mean to me

The water beads up on the windows now

Fog rolls into town to blanket all

I tell myself maybe just maybe I will go out

But I talk myself down once again

I’ve never really been one for goodbyes

I really don’t like when things have to end

Even the best times have to roll by

But that just makes way for times ahead

I get pretty sentimental as the time goes by

And I want you to know you will always be my one

Then you finally come home from that job you hate

So happy and relieved to see me standing there

You wrap your arms around me

The fog drifts far away

A perfect clear and peaceful night ahead

If I have you by my side then I know I’m safe to go outside once again

You turn to me and say;

“You know those plastic stars stuck to your ceiling?”

“I think it’s time you see the real thing”

When the reflection in the mirror doesn’t resemble you anymore

And that everlasting smile is no longer there to grace me

Just take my hand girl and we can begin our last dance tonight

Long into the night the music will play

We’ll laugh just like old times

But we should have been more careful with the time that we both had

The starlight looks amazing when the city can’t drown it out

Follow the light

It’ll take you to me

It’s hard to speak when you know that this is it

When the music stops I have to watch you walk away into the dark

So please don’t be afraid to get close tonight and dance with me

Just dance with me

I may be lost

But at least with you I had the safety of home

And when the stars begin to fall around you

You’re way too late

I’m already here at the coffin

Where we were supposed to lay together

For longer than forever

And watch it all fall apart

So darling if you make it

I’ll be sure to leave the lid up for you tonight

I see your face

Everywhere I turn I see it

Smiling

Crying

Over the top

“Perfect”

I hear your voice

All around me I hear it

“Brave”

“Smart”

Vapid

Conceited

You spout bullshit to an undeserved audience

An audience who loves you, for reasons unknown

An audience you love, when it’s convenient

Sheep in need of a shepherd

A shepherd with a sex tape

A shepherd with a TV show

A boy band

An impossible body image that kids kill themselves over

Hook them while they’re young

Take their parents money until they can give you their own

You lash out when the cameras flash

You cry when they don’t

And the cycle starts anew

The clawing desperation for relevance

You created this storm

So grab an umbrella

And hit a car with it

Scream for the spotlight

The spotlight you hate

Until it burns out

You get manicured twice a day

My hands bleed so the bills get paid

Human beings starve

Children

At least your pool is heated

You make millions

My stomach churns