Under the smile that you wear
It's the reflection that we share
And it's staring back at me
Drunk on the atrophy
I couldn't help but to break in to your shell
And make you laugh with me
Bask in the apathy
I just wanted to reach into your head
And pull out every tangled end
That adolescence broke and bent
To leave you struggling and spent
And if I said I felt the same
Would I be lying through my teeth
Or could you fake a grin
For the sake of argument
I guess you'll never know
I was the last one to write you off
You shed your winter clothes
And sent a signal when you got lost
And like I said, "I felt it all"
I lost myself if you recall that
To hell and back and here again
To all the time we haven't spent
I guess you bent but never broke
Caught on the words that made you choke
You waited patiently, high in the willow tree
Lost in a thought, it's what you are not what you want
But you will never see, head full of nicotine
I just wanted to pull open your eyes
Fill every inch of you with light
And make you promise not to peak
Until the pressure was releaved
And if you see it for yourself
I think you'll finally arrive
At a point of no contention
In the place I couldn't find
Released in 2001, “The Convincer” is a gentle gem in the Nick Lowe catalog; an anniversary edition provides opportunity for rediscovery. Bandcamp New & Notable Sep 20, 2021