Backwards in Time

You were wiping warm tears on the street
Shielding your stereo away from the heat
I escaped Powhatan County alive
I was 17, you were nine

One day, I might believe what you saw
The night the fire ripped a hole through the wall
Ate the bedroom, ate Ma's kindness, it ate our dog

Some days we'd lay in the cul-de-sac breeze
Hiding from chaos in the dinosaur tree
Wandering until we felt the worst was behind
While Father slowly disappeared from sight

One day, a friend goes down
Gravity pulls your people around
If there's a weight you haul, but can't carry
It's okay to pass it around

Snuck out the funeral to stare at the stars
Send you a message that we'd make it this far
If I could throw my thoughts backwards in time
I would not show you the future is kind

Only gets faster each time around
Keep your head up, your feet on the ground
Back inside, the carpet pattern was you
Had the worst deja vu

In 20 years, nothing changed at all
Still have the cancer, still have the strip mall
Don't have to wonder if the worst is behind
I'll be 38 on the 4th of July