River Street Autopsy

[Verse 1]
You top the Bulleit Rye in her glass on River Street.
His hands stay flat on the oak top, admitting defeat.
You see the salt from her drive home already in her hair.
He's measuring the distance from his barstool to her chair.

[Chorus]
And you just see the joint come loose.
You see the tenons start to bend.
You're just the witness with no use
At the beginning of the end.

[Verse 2]
The bar rag smells of lemon oil and Tuesday's stale beer.
You study the hairline crack spreading in the veneer.
At a quarter past eleven, the silence is a weight.
He traces the rim of his glass, sealing their fate.
"'Did you lock the front door?' is all he says."
While a whole damn house is coming down inside their heads.

[Chorus]
And you just see the joint come loose.
You see the tenons start to bend.
You're just the witness with no use
At the beginning of the end.

[Bridge]
You want to say something, build some kind of brace.
Tell 'em a crooked foundation can still hold grace.
But your only job is pouring mercy in this place.
Your hands just know the feel of splintered wood and empty space.

[Outro]
You just wipe the water ring.
You just wipe the water ring.