Now We Can See

the earth was too hot, the air was too thin
i took off my clothes, i took off my skin
i crawled to the sea that was calling for me
so i could swim
yeah, so i could swim

i was sick of the land, i was sick from the heat
i was sick of the sun and the sky and the trees
over the air that i needed to breathe
when i held with my hands, when i walked with my feet
i took off my clothes, i took off my skin
started shedding my arms to start getting my fins
crawled to the sea that was calling for me
so i could swim, swim the ocean wide
i was only just past the low tide

when i died
my head did swell
i said to myself, “nature sure took her sweet time”
i was already losing my spine

i was sick with horror when my curtain fell
it’s the end of the story i was certain to tell
watching their faces as they pulled me from the sea
feeling for the place i thought my gills would be
busted and wrecked, justly infected
my body beyond repair
had no objections, sir
my only questions were “where do i go?” and
“will i know when i’m there?”
but i really couldn’t say that i cared

when i died
my head did swell
i said to myself
“nature sure took her sweet time”
i was already losing my spine

if life was short
at least it was short

we were sick, sick at the top
so far from where we started
too far along to stop

we were sick, sick at the thought
we’d ever lose our grip and end up
sick at the bottom

fed on the dirt, laid on the land
never gave a day away
never gave a damn
bred all we could, shared all we had
every dirty germ another lesson and present
to man

we were sick, we were sick at birth
snuck around, had our fun
stuck a fork, we were done
we were sick, we covered the earth
us and all our friends and
anyone getting us medicine

we were sick, sick in the brain
too young to kill, too old to contain
stuck out our tongue catching the acid rain
we were high, we were alive
we were sick

never pure, never aware
never a cure, never a care
never a need
never a damn for legacy

i was lost, i was hurt
i was trapped out at sea
i was swimming in circles of circles
in the last place i wanted to be

i was holding on to a love i knew so long
i thought it must be keeping me afloat
only when i was down
only when i was drowning
did i finally feel the hands on my throat

i looked my fear in the eyes
looked at the water below
i knew i could love or live

i let it go

i walked in the dark
i walked in the rain
i walked for miles and miles and years
all i knew was heartache and pain

i was weighted with a hate i held so long
i thought it must be guiding me home
only when i was crossed
only when i was lost
did i finally see it left me all alone

i looked my fear in the eyes
looked at the cold ground below
i knew i could love or die

i let it go

four on the floor
two in the air
out of the sand
out of the sky
into the flow

we were born in the desert
we were reared in a cave
we conquered in the sun
but we lived in the shade
yeah baby we were savage
we existed to kill
our history is damage
at least it was a thrill

but now we can see
now that our vision is strong
we don’t need to admit we were wrong
now we can see
but the images don’t stick
our enemies lie dead on the ground
and still we kick

now we can see
the warnings and the signs
read in between the lines
like writing on the wall
now we can see
what do we need?
we should need nothing
nothing at all

we were born on an island
we grew out of the sand
never saw another creature
never knew another man
yeah baby we were nothing
we existed for less
our present was empty
our history a mess

but now we can see
now we do as we please
now we do away with our disease
now we can see
now the image sticks
we still need the medicine quick
we still take the pill
but only for the fix

the air isn’t thin
the air isn’t thick
the air isn’t anything
it doesn’t exist
it’s not what we need
at the bottom of the sea

the light is gray
the light is rare
it barely touches us
it’s barely there for me
at the bottom of the sea
and i’m barely there for you

i will never come up
i will never compare
wind to the sand
water to air
it’s not what i want
it’s what i need

the love is near
i hear it speak
it’s in my sight
but out of my reach
it falls from my hand
just like it did on the land
and i’m barely there for you

for the air
for the light
for the love
is barely there for me
at the bottom of the sea
it’s not what i want
it’s what i need

we closed our minds
we shut our traps
we built a house
the house collapsed
we sold the wood
and bought the farm
now we got a place
in the dirt
in the backyard

we were stronger alive
we always smote our foes
won in a landslide
ran unopposed
piss drunk on power and cheap wine
we used to waste the world
just to waste our time

now the spirit is strong
but the flesh is weak
death is long
the living are laughing
spit on our grave, we don’t mind
we’re bad as ash
you should’ve seen us in our prime

when we were the earth
when we were alive
when we were the rules
when we were the ends
yeah we were fools
but i still had my friends

we couldn’t stay
we didn’t try
we didn’t cry
when we were alive

under the sky, in the cold morning light
i called out your name
nothing i could feel, nothing i knew was real
i called out your name
vision a blur, voice in a slur
crying in the rain
one thing i knew, baby it was you
i called out your name

i was dreaming of a place where my body never aged
i called out your name
i was dreaming of a time when i never lost my mind
i called out your name
my vision turned to threat, i woke up in a sweat
feeling my spirit drain
one thing i knew, baby it was you
i called out your name

i was feeling so old, my body so cold
only you i needed to see
i was feeling so low, you were all i had known
and had to love
before i had to leave

under the sky, in the cold morning light
i called out your name
nothing i could feel, nothing i knew was real
i called out your name
my time was running out, still i had to shout
i held my refrain
one thing i knew, baby it was you
i called out your name

time kept me in line
kept me defined
it kept me safe when i was afraid
kept me in line
kept me defined
it kept me sane when i was afraid

counting the days
pacing the sky
holding every breath i had left in time

gravity, i can’t forget
you saved my hide a thousand ways
gravity, i can’t forgive
you let me go
i fell away when i was afraid

falling away
out into space
losing all my breath when i was afraid

love, it held me near
you held me close
i couldn’t die when i was afraid
you held me close
i couldn’t die
i couldn’t live when i was afraid

fear was mine
fear was by my side
it kept me well
hell, it kept me alive
i counted days as they faded away
i only felt sane when i was afraid

liquid in, liquid out
it’s what my life was all about
it was all about

saturate, fill me up
liquidate, empty my cup
it’s what my life was all about
it was all about

salivate, ring the bell
clean the plate, my slate as well
it’s what my life was all about
it was all about

drank the sun, drank the rain
down the river, down the drain
i never went
i never went without

liquid in, liquid out
it’s what my life was all about
it was all about

i’ve seen a ceiling of screens
shaped like clouds in the sky
i saw a wall, it was all between me
and where i’ll lie
i laid on a bed with my head
spinning zero and one into two
dreaming of you
and how we fade

i laid in a shower of color and numbers
and numbers and words
i opened my eyes and my ears and my eyes
i saw and i heard
i opened my mouth, nothing came out
nothing at all i could do
dreaming of you
and how we fade

i dug a hole
it was only as deep as the ground i had known
i fell asleep
just so i wouldn’t be left to die all alone
i opened my mouth, hoping to shout
hoping the words were true
dreaming of you
dreaming of you
and how we fade

you dissolve
it’s just another way you exist
it’s just another way you survive
it’s just another way
you dissolve

you dissolve
it’s the only way you depart
it’s the only way you operate
it’s the only way
you dissolve

you dissolve
it’s just another way you deceive
it’s just another way you can leave
it’s just another way
you dissolve into steam
you dissolve like a dream

you dissolve
it’s just another way