Mason Jennings Wilderness Lyrics

get em up get em up get your shoulders up
get your backbone straight
keep an empty cup
put your axe in the wood
get your focus fixed
keep your body in the ring
gotta take some licks
and let it all come back to you
all the memories
which she put you through
bring it up to the light
put it in a frame
hang it out in the open where the children play

let it sting your eyes
clamp your chest
lead with love
and embrace the rest
embrace the demons
with all their claws
embrace this life
with all its scars

how can I forgive of you
things you said you'd never do
words you said you'd never say
darling how'd we lose our way
in the wilderness
just trying our best
to stay free

at an empty space on the edge of town
you had us meet on neutral ground
your coat was grey
your eyes were blue
my arms and hands ached for you
my stolen train
my flock of birds
when your lips said those words
trees went black
angels fell
armies burned the carousel
say you didn't mean a thing
say you're coming home again
up the river of regret
say we ain't seen nothin' yet

how can I forgive of you
things you said you'd never do
words you said you'd never say
darling how'd we lose our way
in the wilderness
where loneliness cuts so deep

and all the expectations we
put upon ourselves to be
things our parents never would
how could we have been so sure
in the wilderness
just tryin' our best
to stay free