Sifting through the ashes
With unsteady hands
Searching for the remnants
Of a broken man

A history of hollow lives
And low ideals
A backlog of wrongdoing
We never conceal

I rise to my feet
And walk away from the dross
Towards the doorway
Of our mutual and harrowing loss

The only way I know
To shake myself of this curse
Is to bring myself to something
That is measurably worse

I sought refuge in a house on fire
I took shelter in a wall of flame
I built a prison in my own subconscious
There's nothing else left
Nothing else left to blame.

Emerging from the wreckage
Of a life that once was
Confounded by the damage
My own psyche does

I bear the scars
Of an insufferable will
And the tyrannical reign
It threatens to instill

Some seek control
By grabbing hold of their lives
In a futile attempt
To help themselves survive

I dig myself
Into a much deeper hole
Running from a fate
That I can never control

I sought refuge in a house on fire
I took shelter in a wall of flame
I built a prison in my own subconscious
There's nothing else left
Nothing else left to blame.

I woke up
In a column of ash
While the world came down
In a horrible crash

I was naive
For ever wanting this much
Using self-deception
As my only crutch

Footsteps diverge
From the path they once walked
Words are eclipsed
By the language they talked

Actions betrayed
By promises broken
Flames consume intentions
Best left unspoken

I sought refuge in a house on fire
I took shelter in a wall of flame
I built a prison in my own subconscious
There's nothing else left
Nothing else left to blame.