The Vernors Stain

[Verse 1]
(A cappella)
The back of a Kresge's receipt, July of '03
Still smells faintly of bleach and my grandmother's tea
(Music enters)
You left it by the spare house key, a brittle leaf
Just four words, a whole root system underneath

[Chorus]
Just a ghost of a circle, the Vernors stain
On the promise you'd be home before the evening rain

[Verse 2]
I remember Kayla asking, 'did she write it in blue?'
And I said, 'Yeah, kid, of course she did, just for you.'
Just a boy tryna graft a new branch onto something true
While the porch light hummed and died on Mack Avenue

[Chorus]
Just a ghost of a circle, the Vernors stain
On the promise you'd be home before the evening rain

[Bridge]
Funny how a little pressure from a thumb, years gone past
Can make a fragile memory bloom right through the goddamn glass

[Chorus]
Still a ghost of a circle, the Vernors stain
On the promise you'd be home before the evening rain

[Outro]
The ink has run
Home before the rain…