Braced for Impact

Lyrics

[Verse 1] The kettle clicks, I count the tiles Your footsteps pause outside the door A truck backfires three blocks away And I am somewhere else once more I know this room, I know your face I know the year, the month, the day But every nerve has learned a map That sends me running far away [Pre-Chorus] You ask me where I’ve gone I’m trying to come back [Chorus] I’m not broken, I’m braced for impact Holding my breath when the hallway cracks You can sit beside me, you don’t have to fix The war keeps ending in little bits I’m still here, though my hands won’t rest Learning the difference between now and then [Verse 2] The grocery aisle is fluorescent white A dropped glass rings and steals the air I leave the basket by the bread And find the parking lot too bright to bear I hate the weight of saying why I hate the kindness in your eyes But you wait with me beside the car Until the shaking passes by [Pre-Chorus] You ask me where I’ve gone I’m trying to come back [Chorus] I’m not broken, I’m braced for impact Holding my breath when the hallway cracks You can sit beside me, you don’t have to fix The war keeps ending in little bits I’m still here, though my hands won’t rest Learning the difference between now and then [Bridge] Tonight I name five things I see The blue mug, the plant, the wooden floor Four things I can feel beneath my feet The fabric, the chair, the solid door My heart is loud, but it is mine This moment has a shape and time [Final Chorus] I’m not broken, I’m coming back now Letting the air reach deeper somehow You can sit beside me, we can let it pass The past is heavy, but it isn’t fast I’m still here, and my hands may rest Learning the difference between now and then One small room, one open window One more night I don’t have to defend [Outro] The kettle clicks, the morning stays I name the room, I name the day