Ozone Hour

[Verse 1]
There you are, by the sill when the Allegheny County siren tests,
Just before four on a Tuesday in June, with your hands upon your chest.
The light on the bricks goes that sick kind of yellow,
The color of a fever dream, heavy and mellow.

[Pre-Chorus]
And every gear inside my head just clicks and goes quiet,
As you turn to me, mouth open, about to start a riot.

[Chorus]
This is the ozone hour, isn't it?
When the whole damn world's a counterfeit,
And only this room is real.

[Verse 2]
There you are, with your bare feet on the cool linoleum floor.
There you are, and I can smell the rain coming through the screen door.
You whisper, "'Listen, the cicadas stopped their wiring.'"
Like the whole grid's holding its breath, tired of trying.

[Pre-Chorus]
And all the rust inside my joints just breaks and turns to dust,
In this one perfect second of mechanical trust.

[Chorus]
This is the ozone hour, isn't it?
When the whole damn world's a counterfeit,
And only this room is real.

[Bridge]
The freight train on the P&L.E. bridge just rumbles through the static,
And for once it doesn't sound like leaving, it just sounds automatic.

[Chorus]
This is the ozone hour, isn't it?
When the whole damn world's a counterfeit,
And only this room is real.

[Outro]
Yeah, only this room is real.
The hum of the ballast in the wall.