After the Tone

[Verse 1]
Jolene, it's 3 AM on the Illinois side of the bridge,
The cold payphone receiver is pressing my ribs.
I drove the whole circuit just to settle my hands,
Tracing the cracks in these failing plans.

[Chorus]
'Cause I wanna build a wall that his words can't climb,
I wanna tear out the poison from his whole damn design.
Just a fortress of silence, a hurricane-proof room,
To keep you from the weather of him.

[Verse 2]
Remember the diner, under that flickering neon?
He said, "You're just a doorway, never a room of my own."
The condensation on your glass drew a line in the heat,
Like a border you were finally ready to meet.

[Chorus]
'Cause I wanna build a wall that his words can't climb,
I wanna tear out the poison from his whole damn design.
Just a fortress of silence, a hurricane-proof room,
To keep you from the weather of him.

[Bridge]
This anger's just scaffolding, rusting and thin,
Hiding the vacant lobby I am standing in.

[Outro]
Anyway... call me when you get this.
I'll leave the foundation light on for you.