Phoenix

[Verse 1] From the corner of Third and Washington You can't see where your brother went Out somewhere past the beat cops And beautiful women who work for the government They walk by in air-conditioned tunnels That arc high above the street While I sweat in my hot coffee And daydream about how we might meet [Verse 2] Your mother asked for a picture She says today is your birthday In some strung out western stutter Making all the world her ashtray She adjusts her aviators With an absent shaking hand Tilts the camera forty-five degrees And calls out modeling commands [Verse 3] When we used to go to parties You'd spend an hour before the mirror And I'd drink your gin And ask about your high school souvenirs Tacked on the wall above the bed An old inkjet collage But you were never much for talking So I knelt to your mirage [Verse 4] We'd walk the three blocks westbound In the moonlit Philly fall And the party would be grand All our friends would grin with pride All our friends would be so drunk And have such pleasant things to say And at last, we'd see each other In the way that we had dreamed to be seen [Verse 5] Those nights, your house kept secrets We'd stumble up the stairs My hands tore through your records While your hands unpinned your hair The both of us still green enough To remove the other's clothes A quiet signal of devotion That I am happy to have known