The Long Way

We were islands soaked in solitude
Joined by the tide, we pushed back and we outgrew
If you told me the highway would wear your tires through
Then I’d go back and take the long way with you

Warm cans of steel reserve in a basement
Sweat-stained singalongs and discontent
Bound together by not fitting in
Punk rock songs and teenage stress
We were freaks, we were kids, we were miscreants

We were islands soaked in solitude
Joined by the tide, we pushed back and we outgrew
If you told me the highway would wear your tires through
Then I’d go back and take the long way with you

In bars that reeked of piss and alcohol
Choking on mothballs in legion halls
Found a place where we belonged
With each other we were strong
We were kin, we were rebels lost without a cause

It’s a lump in my throat and a longing for the mitten state
An infinite search for a past that I can’t recreate

We were islands soaked in solitude
Joined by the tide, we pushed back and we outgrew
If you told me the highway would wear your tires through
Then I’d go back and take the long way with you