Seven of Cups

Lyrics

I am just a shadow at the window glass,
watching the heavy city vapor pass.
The radiator hisses, the streetlamp bleeds,
and out of the fog, a white cloud breathes.
I didn't ask for a menu of fate,
but here they are, resting on the water's weight.
Seven golden rims lined up in the dark.
Where do I even start?

I could take the castle with the iron door.
I could take the jewels spilling on the floor.
I could take the snake with the emerald scale,
or the laurel wreath when all else fails.
It’s all so gorgeous hanging in the mist.
The beautiful, the poisoned, the mouths I haven't kissed.
But you only get to reach your fingers into one.
And then the rest are gone.

Look at the one with the human head,
promising a pillow and a made-up bed.
A second cup is glowing, completely shrouded tight,
maybe it’s a phantom, maybe it’s the light.
I keep my hands buried in my pockets deep.
If I touch the gold, will the dragon sleep?
At 2:18 AM, my brain is just a sieve,
catching every phantom life I didn't get to live.

I could take the castle with the iron door.
I could take the jewels spilling on the floor.
I could take the snake with the emerald scale,
or the laurel wreath when all else fails.
It’s all so gorgeous hanging in the mist.
The beautiful, the poisoned, the mouths I haven't kissed.
But you only get to reach your fingers into one.
And then the rest are gone.

The red dragon curls around the rim of the fifth.
Is it a warning, or is it a myth?
I like it better when I’m just a silhouette.
I like the safety of the things I haven't met.
I’ll just stand here. I’ll just wait.
Let the cloud hold the weight.

Seven cups in the window frame.
None of them have my name.
Castle, dragon, shroud, face.
Hanging in the empty space.
Just a shadow looking at the glow.
I don't have to know.
Not tonight.