Four of Cups

Lyrics

Back pressed hard against the backyard oak
Knees pulled tight to the collarbone
I folded my arms when the argument broke
Now I’m guarding this patch of the overgrown
There are three green tumblers sweating on the lawn
The ice is melting down to a sliver
I know everybody wonders where I’ve gone
But the kitchen was loud, and I started to splinter

And I won't look up, I refuse to turn my head
Though I see the shadow drifting from the right
It's easier to play a little dead
Than to risk my hands in the open light
There’s a heavy kind of quiet in the grief
When you lock the door and throw away the key
And stare at the geometry of a fallen leaf
While a miracle is waiting by your knee

They’d call it a sulk if they saw my mouth
Just another dull afternoon at 4:15
But I’m holding my ribs so they don't fall south
And the hollow inside me stays perfectly hidden
If I reach for the new thing, I have to let go
Of the tightness that is keeping me in place

So I stare at the dirt where the clovers grow
And memorize the lines in an empty space

And I won't look up, I refuse to turn my head
Though I see the shadow drifting from the right
It's easier to play a little dead
Than to risk my hands in the open light
There’s a heavy kind of quiet in the grief
When you lock the door and throw away the key
And stare at the geometry of a fallen leaf
While a miracle is waiting by your knee

At the edge of my vision, a break in the gray
A hand reaching out of a low-hanging cloud
Holding a cup that could wash this away
A golden rim hovering, bright and loud
All I have to do is uncross my arms
Just lower my guard for half a beat
But the safety of nothing has its own charms

So I keep my chin resting on my feet

Just watching the three green glasses sweat
I haven’t said yes to the sky just yet
I haven't said yes to the sky
Just sitting in the shadow
While the cloud hangs by