I stalled in recalling The way I lived before I went away and sparked the Winter War Some brightness, once lightness Now sits heavy beneath my ribs Collects the weight of everything I did Oh but I had me a cause A good cause I thought The Bleeding drum beating Its time under my skin The cavalry goes riding out again Then lost and exhausted In that desert in my head I put my lips to water, tasted sand Oh but I had me a cause A good cause I thought So if you see me start retreating See the shadow cross my eyes I'm gonna place a bet on wine, I'm gonna take my own advice
And if I'm lucky I can see your lantern shine I came back to find that The truth I knew as sure Doesn't seem so certain anymore The past lies in fragments That slip out of my dreams And follow me down all these crooked streets I Guess I'm haunted and lost Chalk up a loss Now I'm Given, a vision That I'm not sure I can trust Of a woman throwing her dice down in the dust And a house made of mortar And I wish this house my home To hang it up and burn my uniform But what is the cost When I give up the cause