You're Gonna Be the One That Saves Me

Your bathing suit reminds me not to stare

And I appreciate your broken tone

We shake hands like we’re telling a joke

And I silently say your name to myself

I’m two miles down a one-mile well

Deeper than anybody thought I could go

I sent back the bucket with a note that said ‘I’m fine’

And floated on the top like a brand new penny

Then along comes this oasis

In my self-imposed desert

And briskly I’m reminded

That I never learned to swim

You’re not flow-y like the poems say

Or flowery, or sunny

Nothing about you says nature

Or earthy, or natural, or free

But you have to get close to get close

And that reminds me of me

You don’t inspire me to write

You inspire me to not write

Half the rockets in the sky

And you picked mine

To bring back down

I hear 90’s radio

And shut my eyes

Knowing I was stuck in ‘91

And here comes ‘96

I want to get up and dance

But I’m too drunk to move

Clicking my tongue

Tapping my feet

Cool windshield for a pillow

Rolling engine as a bed

You know I’m gonna be a project

But you love me anyway

Not right way, but you see it coming

Like a big wave at a little boat

You’re gonna tile me

And teach me

Root canal me

And reach me

They’re gonna write about us

But we won’t be writing

We’ll be too busy living

Giving ‘em something to write about

I’m going to drown

And dizzy

And burn out

And lose

And lose again

And give you something

To work with

You’re gonna say you’ll never leave

And I’m gonna change your mind

But you’ll stay anyway

Past your friends’ objections

Your parents’ ultimatums

And your own common sense

You get up on the hood with me

And we say…nothing

Frogs jump by but you don’t kiss ‘em

Boys drive by and honk their horn

You put your head next to mine

And whisper promises you’re not sure you can keep

And I peg you for what you are

There and then

My sword on your shoulder

The stone of your lips

You’re gonna be the one that saves me, I say

And you say—We’ll see

You won’t believe me

Until you’ve done it

Until I’m saved

And you’ve done the saving

I’m the thing you thought you’d never do

And you did a good job

I’ve had a lot of people love me

So that’s nothing new

But nothing compares

To being saved my you