Tenement Song

I saw you for the first time on the sidewalk, you were passing me by

And though I know we're not allowed to stop and talk, I just had to try

Something in your face I had seen just once before

A flash in my father's eyes when they held him to the floor

And he said: Darling, don't forget me

Even with this courage, oh the words just wouldn't come

All we're taught to say is: Hide, quiet, and run

Something in your face I felt in my own

It itched at my lips and tickled my tongue

And you said: Darling, come with me

So in your fifth floor tenement, we'll lie down

And speak with our skin

Cause not all of our thoughts can be said through our teeth

So if the sounds don't come

It won't matter to us

We'll still know what we mean

Months passed by and our meetings grew more common all the time

And you taught me the things you'd learned in secret about syllables and rhyme

Something in your face whenever I learned a new word

Made me almost forget what it's like not to be heard

So I said: Darling, hold on to me

Cause even though I've learned to speak

There will always be some inexpressible things

So in your fifth floor tenement, we'll lie down

And speak with our skin

Cause not all of our thoughts can be said through our teeth

So if the sounds don't come

It won't matter to us

We'll still know what we mean

One day, they came while I was telling you the sunrise

And they said the way we lived we would die

But I'm not worried, no they can't hurt me

Not with you here beside me

So in your fifth floor tenement, we'll lie down

And speak with our skin

Cause not all of our thoughts can be said through our teeth