Stolen Apples

Nowadays they don’t steal cash

They got red apples on their mind

Stolen apples

Baskets of ‘em in the grass

They hide in the shadows of the orchards

Behind the trees

Beneath the branches

And they whisper

Until they get their chance

See, we ain’t used to having apples

Not the way they used to do

And the orchards saved for rich folks

People we’re not allowed to go speaking to

We don’t believe we’re owed their money

But an apple

What’s an apple?

Hanging from a tree

If nobody picks it

It just sits up there

And rots

So we steal ‘em

I guess that makes us

Thieves

Your daddy lit your house on fire

My mother ran off when I was five

History’s tricky

It belongs to everybody

And nobody

And it just sits there

Either you pick it

Or it rots

That scar from where they shot you

Gets smaller everyday

But no matter how it shrinks, you know

It never goes away

One day you won’t need me

To tend to all your wounds

To steal your apples

Or slice them up

And feed them

To you

I like the way your legs look running

I like to hear you gasp for air

See you trying

See you wanna be alive

I watch you scale the tallest tree

And drop the treasures down

It rains fruit and laughter

As the apples hit the ground

I pretend that we’re allowed here

Then I hear the alarms go off

And grab the apples

And we go running

And dogs come running

But we don’t drop them

Our stolen apples

Or else what was all this for?

I want to kiss you before I die

See one more summer, one more fall

I want to bake an apple pie

And—Well, that’s about all

If they get me, get the apples

Get as many as you can

And just keep running

Don’t look behind you

Never look behind you

We both agreed

So climb a tree

Nobody knows what they’ll die for

They just know they’re gonna die

For freedom

Or for love

Or youth

Or stolen apples

At least make sure that you got to hold

Whatever it is you’re dying for

In your hands

Before you go

I’ve got my apple

The one you gave

To me