If & When

[Verse 1: Dessa]

(I'm still)

This room gets smaller with every coat of paint

Nobody ever got better this way, hey, hey

(I'm still, hey, hey)

It's been two mean seasons

They say you won't come back

They say a girl who's decent

Would long be in her blacks by now

But I'm no young widow

Like they're calling me in town

I'll leave the light on in your window

If I have to burn the whole thing down

[Hook: Dessa]

And I, (I'm staying) I'd stop, (waiting)

But the pilot light's the only guide to call you home

And I, (I'm staying) I'd stop, (waiting)

But the pilot light's the only beacon in the snow

[Verse 2: Dessa]

After they turned the power out

After the candle sticks burned down

I burned the furniture, the picture frames, all the fabric in the house

I turned to photographs

Your voice came through the cold

Last words you said to soothe my nervousness

"Keep one light on, I'll always find my way"

I tore the

Pages from your books

Wallpaper down

And then I took myself upstairs

And your straight razor to my braids

[Hook: Dessa]

And I, (I'm staying) I'd stop, (waiting)

But the pilot light's the only guide to call you home

And I, (I'm staying) I'd stop, (waiting)

But the pilot light's the only beacon in the snow

[Verse 3: Dessa]

When I exhausted all the tinder

The house was dark for days

Since I thought to remove the oven door

I've been kneeling here to guard this flame

The neighbors have stopped calling

Now their children come throw stones

And the papers from the bankers

Say they doubt you're coming home

They found a man you know

A drifter in the barn last year

While I was sleeping

Must have made it to the house–

They found him frozen in your clothing, dear

[Hook: Dessa]

And I, (I'm staying) I'd stop, (waiting)

But the pilot light's the only guide to call you home

And I, (I'm staying) I'd stop, (waiting)

But the pilot light's the only beacon in the snow