Out On The Shield

(album: Islands Disappear - 2009)

We never meant to stay here
We were here for the gold

We got stuck here for the winter
Blinded by golden dollar signs
We built some simple structures
Temporary, not permanent
But each year we dug much deeper
And each year things got more serious
Each year our hearts grew weaker
Blinded by golden dollar signs

We never meant to stay here
We were here for the gold

Put a lump of coal in my hand
Squeeze just as tight as I can
Hope for a brand new diamond
I know it's slight but it's all I can
I promise honey that when we get paid
We'll pack our things and we'll move away
A thousand miles from this frozen lake
We'll find a place where we both can stay

We'll find a city with a million people
Find an apartment where the rent is real low
We'll disappear and no one will notice
How about it Darling?
We could both live downtown

We never meant to stay here
We were here for the gold
We never meant to stay here
But we're just dumb animals with our paws in the hole, grasping gold

Now we're stuck in a small town
Out on the shield
But it lost its appeal long ago
We wake up at dawn and kiss our wives on the forehead
And we slowly make our way into the caves
Where we will forget the faces of our children and our small regrets
Like, I should have kept that lucky penny while I had the chance