American Bruises

American cities kissed by open sky
while the years scrape at your skin
Spending your whole life trying to erase
the person you know you've been
Holding on to every single breath
Chased by nicotine
Walking away from a future
led in the pursuit of buying things
Sometimes the lips don't need to move
for the heart to make a desperate sound
If I ‘m hellbound,
come on light this body up and we'll burn it down
Because you know a bruise only lasts
long enough for the pain to pass
Getting buried in the day to day
Scared of how it feels
Hoping someday that this town repays
Everything it steals
Holding on to every single breath
Watching your friends get old
Your scars can tell you about where you've been
But not where you need to go
Sometimes it takes giving up everything
to see the things you really need the most