What Have You Got To Lose?

I’m sure you did

The math on this one, right?

Is that a...reasonable assumption?

So you know

What you have to lose

If anything

You see that house over there?

The one with the Christmas lights

Still up?

They never take ‘em down

I bet the neighbors talk

Because, you know,

You’d be surprised

Something like that

Christmas lights in May

And all year round

Stupid shit like that

Can drive down

Property values

Not now, because people

Are selling their fucking kidneys

To get a house

But back when things were normal

You had to watch out

For anything that would tell people

Your neighborhood was less than perfect

All you had to do

To be labeled

‘The Crazy Family’

Is leave out trash

That can’t be collected

Or have a beater

In the drive-way

Or Christmas lights

But what do they have

To lose?

That family with the lights?

They did the math

And so the neighbors

And so does some nosey stranger

Sitting in a van

On the street

You’re not nosey though

It’s probably

How you’ve lasted this long

That and you’re strong, aren’t you?

I heard you were strong

But strong doesn’t do you

Much good

If you’re not fearless

If you’re worried

About something

Outside of this van

You don’t look scared to me

But we haven’t really

Gotten into it yet, have we?

Just some chitchat

A few snacks

You fiddling with that gun

Like you’ve never used it before

I hope that’s not true, by the way

The last one they sent me

Had only done a few hours

Of target practice

Before they sent them to me

And that one did not last long

I can tell you that

But it’s possible

They didn’t have

Their eye on the prize

They must have had

Something to lose

Me?

I don’t have anything

I come here

I park

I look at the lights

And for me

It’s always Christmas

And that’s nice

Because I never had Christmas

Growing up

No lights

No presents

And whether it was nice out or not

We didn’t do anything

Or celebrate anything

And one day

I walked out the door

And I just kept walking

And if I have to walk up to someone

And do something

That makes me look fearless?

I can do that

Because there’s nothing

On the other side

I need to be afraid of

You just have to ask yourself--

What have you got

To lose?

And when you really think about it

I mean, when you

Really

Think about it

You’ll see you can leave

Those lights on

If you want to

You can leave ‘em on

All year

Long