Michigan Weight

[Chorus]
This is the Michigan weight
This is the hold-your-breath and wait
For the thaw, for the count, for the coming 'round late
Yeah, this is the Michigan weight

[Verse 1]
The fluorescent hum at the branch on Grand River
November second, a cold-boned shiver
My breath on the glass makes a ghost of the city
Heels stuck to the floor, that gray kind of sticky
We all stand in line, a study in posture
Learning the torque of a quiet disaster

[Chorus]
This is the Michigan weight
This is the hold-your-breath and wait
For the thaw, for the count, for the coming 'round late
Yeah, this is the Michigan weight

[Verse 2]
A woman is sleeping, her head on her purse
A kid traces patterns, for better or worse
The speaker crackles, “‘Form G-11, next please.’”
Feel the pressure build slow, right behind my knees
It’s the discipline taught in a sweat-soaked room
Bracing for contact that never quite looms

[Bridge]
And I’ll miss this ache when it’s gone, I can feel it
This sinew and bone trying so hard to heal it
The sound of us breathing against the machine

[Outro]
And the bell never rings
Yeah, the bell never rings