I Knew a Boy – lyrics

I once knew a boy
I knew him so well
He had a hurt that was part of him
I asked him to tell
But he bounded it in
Pushed it down deep
Instead of sharing with me
He just shredded his skin
And eyes so bright
They gradually dimmed
Now I’m on my own
With this sorrow in tow
Cos I knew him so well
But not at all
And my heart has a whole
Where he should go
And I knew him so well
And I miss him so
Cos eyes so bright
I shall see no more

He once told me
I was the light that he held
His own special shield
Against a personal hell

Not my boyfriend
Just a friend in need
No more shall I see
Eyes so bright
Smiling at me
And all of these things
I remember of him
Playing guitar
Using his nails for pics
Metallic blue nails
Caressing the strings

But all of those songs that he should sing
Are fading away
Nothing by resonance
Within my own head

He would sit on bed
Writing songs just for me
Shinning guitar
And an impish grin
His hair was a mess
With rose petal lips
Try as I might
I can’t remember his riffs
I pick up guitar to remember him so
But I was never as good
Never as clever as him

And I knew him so well
But not at all
And the words that he sang
Are now lost
Snuggled away to my memory
Hiding and inexcessable
Even to me

But here are those things
I remember of him

Baggy trousers
Looped at the knee
The horror they only reached his shins
Covered in straps and pockets and things
He used to keep all of himself within

And I knew him so well
But not at all
And all of these things are ghosts of him

A metallic chain glinting in the sun
As we sat by our lake having fun
He would play and ask me to sing
But I was too shy to consider such things
And so I would feed the ducks, geese and swans
At what was really a muddy little pond

And I knew him so well
But not at all
I wish he’d spoken to me
Instead of shredding his skin
I should have seen that he had grown so thin
But metallic blue nails
Ran with blood drips
And I failed to see
What he was keeping from me

I once knew a boy
And I shall hold him so dear
twisted inside
By his thoughts and his fears
Metallic blue nails and those blood drips

Echo in kind
As I knew him so well

Posted: Thursday, May 5th, 2011 @ 1:50 pm
Categories: Songs.
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