Perennial Dust

[Verse 1]
The silver tray was cold against my thumb that Grosse Pointe Christmas,
Felt the grain of the wood floor through my worn-out sole.
Pouring champagne that cost more than my grandfather's Fender,
Praying the root rot deep inside me didn't show.

[Chorus]
And I still don't know how you saw a garden in all that dust,
Some kind of stubborn green in all my rust.

[Verse 2]
In the service bathroom, smell of bleach and old regret,
Counting quarters for the bus ride on the porcelain tank.
You found me staring at the verdigris around the faucet,
And said, "It's just a job, Marv. We ain't broke, we just bent."

[Chorus]
And I still don't know how you pulled a garden from all that dust,
That quiet, steady faith felt like a trust.

[Bridge]
Driving home past the dark factories on the I-75,
The hum of the bridge was the only song we had.
Your hand on my knee, a quiet kind of thaw,
Just a flicker of warmth in all the bad.

[Chorus]
And you're still out back, tending a garden from all that dust,
Making a life with what's left of us.

[Outro]
Perennial grace.
All that dust.