That was your first year of college
Even though you saw it as a means to live your life for you this time
You rode your back through the twilight hours
Picking wildflowers, pressed in pages, smearing ink of the words you wrote
It took me weeks to build up the courage
You saw past my bullshit and told me plain and simple to drop the "tough guy" act
See, you were sly with good intentions
Demanded my attention
But didn't know we'd only have a year like this
And the pages on the calendar dissolve
And your body, like a battlecry, sang a haunting song
We took shelter in the trenches of this war
Said "Born the bridges
Drain the rivers
Let the dead settle the score"
I was shaking from the caffeine
Hoping this black coffee would be enough to keep my eyes awake for the fight
You had an IV full of morphine
A mountain for a heartbeat
And we watched nurses come in pairs for the rest of the night
You said that death bed's a monopoly
You're a medical anomaly
And each breath that leaves your lungs could be your last
Well, I still wonder how it came to this
And now I know what losing is
The simple life you love could leave so fast
And the numbers on my pocketwatch fall off
And you're screaming like a symphony
Blood in every cough
Said "I'm a hostage in my body, can't you see?
This room's a prison
My blood is poisoned
My life's a distant memory"
But I still see
Roses in those eyes
Cold November nights still leave you shaking like before
I'll keep you warm
And keep the future held at bay
'Cause no matter what you say
I'm never giving up this war
"Brace for the storm, my love"