Teenage Parents

You climb six lonely sets of stairs to your apartment
After another graveyard shift in the cold dull light of morning
You walked in just in time to catch her as she's leaving
But the schedules and the conflicts kept the roof over our heads
And you said you were strong and naive and
If you were scared, well, I would understand
I don't think I would have had the guts to handle it

All we had were hand-me-downs
And all we had was good will
And you always said it would get better
When you're young and you're poor, they hang on your failures
And you always said it would get better

I'm sick of seeing ghosts. I won't be here
Forever

We bought our first house at the advent of the 90s
A cape cod on a busy street that we swore we'd fix eventually
Winter of '93, we got by with kerosene
A heater in the living room we huddled around shivering and me
Trying to get to sleep. My clothes will smell of smoke for weeks
Just trying to get to sleep. My mother wore a sundress on

All we had were hand-me-downs
All we had was good will
And you always said it would get better
When you're young and you're poor, they hang on your failures
And you always said it would get better
But I'm sick of seeing ghosts. I won't be here forever

My mother wore a sundress on the day that she got married
They held the wedding in a backyard near the city
I was just one then. I would never remember it
But I heard the voices and implications
Telling me who I could never be

All we had were hand-me-downs
And all we had was good will
All we had were hand-me-downs
All we had was good will
And you always said it would get better
When you're young and you're poor, they hang on your failures
And you always said it would get better