left san marcos for the coast days and nights passing out the window in a blur and every song reminding me of her
stole tess from frankie the week I lost my dad everything was good for a while then it went bad
got tess pregnant in frankie's bed he caught us in there told me I was good as dead
see frankie taught me how to walk and talk taught me how to pick up the pieces when you break law
we'd known each other since we were kids rolled around in the dirt no cares pure bliss
frankie knew cinnamon girls with sunburned hair he talked to them in rhymes and they gave him those million mile stares
but tess was the only one that could cut me to ribbons she left me with blood stains she painted pictures of my pain
and when we lost our baby i fled to cali didn't stop crying till i got to uncle benny's alley 84 weeks of backstreet brawls broken jaws benny told me i was one of the best fighters he ever saw
i saved enough money to drive back in that new car cadillac and chrome showed it to my mom she just cried and asked where i'd been for so long
she showed me the letters tess wrote said she missed me and asked why i left her alone
so i found tess on dover street on the fifth of may her black hair was blonde i told her i missed her every day
she said frankie was in galveston working with one eye ray other than that the town was the same
i kissed her cheek told her i'd never leave again she looked at the ground started to cry and took my hand
she told me that she called my mom every day i was gone and she was worried life was just too long
we sat in her car and listened to bob dylan as it rained she said if dylan were alive today he'd write a song called The Times They Never Change
wish you could've seen my eyes when i found out you didn't say goodbye
called your mom she said you were gone i felt like i was back in that foster home
spent days sitting on company hill writing letters to you looking out over our town thinking i might see you
then frankie came around and said you weren't comin back he'd sit outside my house some nights singing johnny cash
i wish you knew i just wanted you had nightmares that you left this town and left me too woke up and you were still gone only bad dreams come true
but you had to do what you had to do i love you too much to not forgive you but some nights it was easier to just forget you
but you aren't the only one who lost someone my mom died when i was young no one ever braided my hair told me how much they cared
maybe we can be better somehow build a life raft sail off to some ghost town
but you can't leave me alone again you can't let go of my hand you have to help me build this island
maybe you need me more than i need you see these times they never change but we do and even when it all ends i'll still love you