Boarding House

Well these walls have seen and heard a lot of sorrow
This house is where the vicious cycle thrives
It has a bathroom and a phone
But it's never been a home
Just a place where parents fuck up their kids' lives

The woman in room seven shot her husband
Her little daughter's name was Valerie
As she was hauled away in cuffs
She shouted out, "With any luck,"
"That little girl will grow up to be just like me"

In room six there was another broken family
A young mother left alone with her young son
His father went out for a drink
And not a soul has seen him since
It's plain to see their little nightmare's just begun

And I swear I've seen enough to last a lifetime
I swear that I could just go on and on
But I'll spare you the details
I know nobody really cares
I just had to put it these whispers in a song

And it's 123
This may not be
The prettiest song you've heard but please
You gotta listen closely now and then
'Cause there are stories in these halls
And there are faces in these walls
And none of them ever want to come here again

Well the woman in room five survived the fire
She survived the flood and plague and lightning too
And she never even cried, so I had to turn a blind eye
Every month when we both knew the rent was due

And she said, "Please don't you do me any favors,"
"I simply can't afford to pay them back"
And I told her it was free
And she just looked at me
And said "Darling, I ain't never heard of that"

Now her ashes belong to the county
And her boy is a ward of the state
And he'll grow up someday
And drink his life away
It's a sad but inevitable fate

It's important that you recognize the cycle
That really is the only crucial part
Don't you say that it's genetic
I don't think you really get it
Because you cannot pass down a broken heart

And it's 123
This may not be
The prettiest song you've heard but please
You gotta listen closely now and then
'Cause there are stories in these halls
And there are faces in these walls
And none of them ever want to come here again

And that little girl who grew up in room seven
Well she turned out just the way that you'd expect
And to her mother as she died
She said "Don't you apologize,"
"We know my life would have already been a mess"

And they found her body floating in the bathtub
The makeup was still fresh upon her face
And a brief and simple note
On the wall in lipstick wrote
"It's the only way to get out of this place"

And it's 123
This may not be
The prettiest song you've heard but please
You gotta listen closely now and then
'Cause there are stories in these halls
And there are faces in these walls
And none of them ever want to come here again