Nobody lives here anymore
Since the city came and boarded up the door
And left that boy out in the cold
But if you were able to take a look inside
You'd see a tragedy that the whole town tried to hide
Blacked out the windows and put the place under lock and key
Under lock and key
If you asked the townsfolk no one seems to know,
It's more like a legend, but so the story goes
A couple moved in here just a few years ago
The father was a writer and a drinker on the side
And on more than one occasion the mother had to hide
The bruises and abrasions that he left the night before
This old house is broken down
The foundation crumbles in the palm of my hand
Build it up just to burn it to the ground
And it's swept away, under a sea of stone
Then one night it happened with a bottle in his hand
Something snapped inside him and he went for her again
But this time would be different, this time their little boy was home
Twelve years full of violence and confusion in his head
He reaches for the pistol that he hid under his bed
And swore to himself that this would be the last time
This old house is broken down
The foundation crumbles in the palm of my hand
Build it up just to burn it to the ground
And it's swept away
Now the walls look old and worn, the mirror-glass is broken and the draperies torn
And there's splinters in the carpet from where the shots came through the floor
Broken bottles and spent casings on the ground
Peppered holes in the walls and stains running down
Almost like the house itself was bleeding
This old house is broken down
The foundation crumbles in the palm of my hand
Build it up just to burn it to the ground
And it's swept away, yeah
Build it up just to burn it down
Build it up just to burn it down
Build it up just to burn it down, and it's swept away