Hey, wasn't anyone listening
To the words in that last song?
They limped out of his mouth
Like wounded beasts shambling
To their ancestral d**h grounds?
Or hold. Perhaps I've gone too far
True, his delivery's akin to a sopping wet kazoo
But I'm here with you
So this night's been upgraded to
A standard-issue guilty pleasure
The rhythm of the hospital
(Run around, run around until these errands are done)
Departs so slowly from us now
(Come around, come around to this one)
Heads pump to serviceable beats
The music threatening to speak to me
It's letters vs. numbers
When you turn to me and laugh so loud
You drop your battered crutches to the ground
It's letters vs. numbers
And I fear I'm on every side
You, in the years I've been around
You've skirmished with d**h
And defeated it somewhat
Though it does creep back through tiny cracks
That have been left unattended
So, though it's vanquished once again
Sometimes the most harmless things
Adopt a sinister resonance
But let this doubt be balanced out
With recognition of its absence
The rhythm of the hospital
(Run around, run around until these errands are done)
Departs so slowly from us now
(Come around, come around to this one)
Cards lining on the windowsills
Obscure the phalanx of impending bills
It's letters vs. numbers
When the meniscus of our cheapest wine
Drops below a certain line
It's letters vs. numbers
And I feel I'm on every side
I watched cartoons on hospital TVs
With academic solemnity
It's letters vs. numbers
Now you're asleep between familiar walls
I feel the sweet math of your pulse
It's letters vs. numbers
I'm on every side
It's letters vs. numbers