I was spiralling downwards, bewildered and perplexed
my clothes full of holes, underfed and oversexed
I met her in the refuge, full of wonder full of wine
she was deaf in one ear but I was blind in both eyes
there was thunder, there were tidal waves but it wouldn’t be forever
so we’d go dancing at the shoreline and enjoy the storm together
I saw the traffic in her buttons and the diamonds in her glass
and I would drink all of her poison and kiss all of her scars
it was like she was made of incense, he hair was like the smoke
and lips were like the flame and I breathed in until I choked
she tied a knot in my hair and said “that’s so you don’t forget me”
but no matter how I tried there was not a chance she’d let me
and as we kissed, she slipped a chain around my wrist
that I didn’t see

and so that was Christmas
and another wasted year put behind me
all of the shine that comes with the summertime
now it’s nothing but a dead pine tree

now she keeps talking about the future, but I never thought about it
I should tell her how I feel, but I just don’t know how to go about it
it seems so serious, but don’t know where this is going
is it a field in need of harvest or a seed in need of sowing?
she got on my back about my drinking, said I that should give it up
so I stole her last few dollars and I snuck off to the pub
see we built this castle, and at the time we were pleased with it
now it sits and gathers dust with the still-life army who besieged it
I see the anger in her eyes, full of hubris full of lies
trying to hold back the tide and keep herself afloat
she closes every door but sticks out along the floor
the handle from my broken oar to comprehend her boat
it’s this margin call, it doesn’t make no sense at all
to me

and so that was Christmas
and another wasted year put behind me
all of the shine that comes with the summertime
now it’s nothing but a dead pine tree

now in this cupboard full of silence, this tragic chance that we’d been given
when the gloss just fell away I looked into her shattered vision
and there was the man she’d thought I was, through all my inadvertent lies
with magic in his fingers and madness in his eyes
it seemed like a miracle but it turned out to be nothing
and now god is in the microwave and Jesus in the oven
I said “you always speak without thinking, why not think without speaking”
she said “I do all the time with all the secrets I’ve been keeping”
but this town’s too small to hold a grudge, you can’t let resentment own you
it’s like walking in the rain and hoping that prick gets pneumonia
it all happens for a reason, what doesn’t kill you makes you stronger
why not take the higher road? because it’s steep and it takes longer
so you take the high road. and I’ll take the low
and I’ll be vindictive
towards ye

well I can screw a turn, I can nail a hammer,
I can throw the water with the baby
and the works into the spanner
every pore of your skin, every vein in your eye,
I just hold you by your stump and listen to you cry
And now I can see, the way the weeds become trees
overnight

and so that was Christmas
and another wasted year put behind me
all of the shine that comes with the summertime
now it’s nothing but a dead pine tree
now it’s nothing but a dead pine tree
and now I’m gonna go and burn that pine tree

it was a Christmas tree when first I cut it down
but everything is dead again when August rolls around
I don’t really know what just happened, but I know it’s time to leave
and I heard her say over my shoulder “please don’t sing about me”
she said “don’t sing about me”