Routine Maintenance

Routine Maintenance
All of us here
Under the same roof again
I'm sitting in your favorite chair
Playing with the fraying threads
I'm sleeping in Catherine's room
In a twin sized bed
She shares mine with Colin 'cause
It's got more space for him
And Pop, she ain't in no shape
To take care of anything

So I'll bring him to school
And tell him that it's okay
I try to look half-put-together
So the teachers know he's safe
And I'm raking the leaves
I'm unclogging the drain
I'm tryna be someone
You can count on for a change
Out in the garage
To the tune of the evening news
Mom needs her oil changed
It's 6 months overdue
And I spent those freezing nights
Shaking out here with you
Holding the flashlight still
Guess I learned a thing or two
And Colin seems interested
So I act like I'm good at this
So I pull out the plug
And let it drain
Trying to find
The right filter to replace
And I'm doing the wash
Touching up the paint
I'm tryna be someone
You can count on for a change
In the years since we spread your ashes
Sammy got traded to L.A. and then to Kansas
In the years since everything happened
I've been out looking for where the light went
I think I found out where the light is

So I'm packing his lunch
Then I'm going to bed
I don't want to see
How dark the night gets
And I'm shoveling snow
I'm fixing the gate
I'm going to be someone
You can count on for a change