CLOUDY DAYS

[Verse 1] Looked out my window this morning Past the skyline, steel and gray The Sears Tower used to mean something Now it just blocks the day They told me the tallest get the glory But the view don’t change your name My tie’s too tight, the coffee’s bitter And I can’t outrun the shame [Verse 2] Took the “L” in, half-awake Headphones on, just hearing air Pressed my face against the window Saw my life reflected there Last weekend at the Bean downtown I caught a glimpse of someone else Don’t know if I imagined it But for a second, I looked like myself [Chorus] Cloudy days, fluorescent glow Feels like I’m here, but I don’t know If I ever meant to come this far Or if I just forgot to go Cloudy days, and I don’t speak Light above me, but it don’t reach And if this is how the story ends Then I’ve got to write something different [Verse 3] She’s on the train most every morning Reading something old and worn Looks like she still knows the seasons Doesn’t bend to where she’s torn I wonder if she wonders too What we’re all trying not to say Would she smile if I said hello? Or just fade back into gray [Bridge] If you’re chasing taller ceilings Make sure your heart still fits inside I bought into the pretty pictures Now I flinch at my own pride They’ll clap for you in marble lobbies But won’t stay when curtains fall You might reach the top by morning And still not feel there at all [Verse 4] I started writing just to feel it Didn’t plan for it to rhyme But something real leaks through the cracks When you’ve been quiet for too much time Maybe I’ll ask her for that coffee Maybe I’ll just walk through the park No headphones, no disguise Let this silence be my start [Final Chorus] Cloudless days — they’re still a dream But I don’t need to fake the scene I’m not a title, not a chair Just a name and breath and open air Cloudy days still come and go But I don’t fold the way I did before If this is how the light gets in Then maybe I was meant for more