Stray(s)

I was up to my neck in apologies

For the war they had waged over me

Two ill-tempered ideas

Tearing down the house

Guess I've been loaning it out

To the wrong crowd

So there's another heart

That plays the part of mine

Forgetting all the lines

But it beats right

And I'm off to the side

Or somewhere in the seats

Just trying to keep the peace

Did we forget the cost (something got me to give you up)

Of living good and lost? (someone told me there's no "enough")

Our loyalties divided (somehow took it to mean the worst)

And cast across (if there's a reason just make sure that you get there first)

I was down with the strays seeking charity

Wondering if I could seem deserving

Couldn't see what became of the family crest

A realization my pride couldn't digest

But if there's another key

That gets you through the door

You won't know what it was for

'Till it's too late

'Cause I'm diving through the trash

And there's nothing but belief

All rotten in the heat

I couldn't get it past you

The pain that had gotten used to me

While you planted salt like seeds

In my every open wound

The tireless glare of the brake lights

The collars that hugged us too tight

The crack of my caustic voice

Made a mockery of me

A travesty of what I tried to be

But did you get there first

Or did the vessels burst?

Did we offend the water

And die of thirst?

My head is going south

Just trying to hammer out

A less complicated route

To the wrong place

And I couldn't bear the cross

So I'm holding it aloft

Just auctioning it off.