Under the Skin

Lyrics

[Intro] Basement door, chipped paint, number rubbed away Someone’s counting coins beneath the railway [Verse 1] I took the back stair, skipped the lobby glass Blue tape on the mailbox, names from years past Mara at the counter with a ledger and a grin Said, “Leave your coat by the boiler, let the winter in” The room held twenty bodies, maybe twenty-one A fan shook dust loose whenever trains would run No one came for posters, no one came for fame We came to trade the part of us that never learned its name [Chorus] Down where the ceiling bends low We keep one small fire going No sign, no guest list, no show Just hands raised when the floor starts moving If the morning asks where we’ve been Tell it we were under the skin [Verse 2] Rico tuned a broken amp with a screwdriver tip A paper cup went sailing, missed the drum and hit the lip The singer wore a work shirt, grease along the sleeve Sang about a town that taught its kids to leave Outside, a laundromat rolled its shutters at two Inside, every quiet thing was finally coming through The landlord’s note said “vacate,” folded under the light We read it like a weather map and stayed another night [Chorus] Down where the ceiling bends low We keep one small fire going No sign, no guest list, no show Just hands raised when the floor starts moving If the morning asks where we’ve been Tell it we were under the skin [Bridge] When the pipes knock three times Nobody says goodbye We pass the last warm bottle And watch the red bulbs die [Final Chorus] Down where the ceiling bends low We keep one small fire going No sign, no guest list, no show Still hands raised when the floor starts moving If the morning asks where we’ve been Tell it we were under the skin Under the skin Under the skin [Outro] Basement door, chipped paint, daylight at the seam We leave with dust on our shoes and a room inside the dream