(William and his younger brother Clive walk together down a dark city street. William wears the standardized dress of the military. He has been called to active duty, and it is his last day in the country. There is an air of unease between the two. Clive is first to break the silence.)
The way the seasons change
Am I just passing
Conversation as you drift away
A couple lines, a sordid note, briefly stated
I am no reason to stay
Sail off through the morning haze
and I'm stranded right here
As our father's done
You're running out on me
And older brother
Outside the weather is getting cold
The colors are turning
On me
It couldn't be a worse time to leave
Listen to the voice on the radio
Are you planning to be
a necklace
When you come home
The way the streetlights hang
Am I just observing
An actor spot lit on the promenade
Reciting lines, slightly staged, you must be playing
So set on casting blame
Like stones against the crashing waves
From some rotting, old pier, but if that levy breaks
Swept out to sea
And younger brother, what have you become
Don't think I haven't seen it
You lie to pretty girls just for fun
Oh how you make them yours
You say I'm like our father, that I'm on the run
You seem to forget how he used our mother
And left such a wreck she couldn't care for us
To father's sin you sing along
While that bottle wets your lying tongue
Every night a different bird to keep you warm
Deceptions are fleeting
You'll see
It couldn't be a more obvious plea
Listen to the sound of your practiced voice
Are you planning to be
A puppet
When I get home
Be on your way
If this is how I'm figured out
Your hands are free for abandoning
Your little brother now
To call her mother is a stretch
She had a choice to make
And me I'll make my own
So tonight I drink alone