Linger On-Two Gallants

Step out to clutch the evening air Distraction from your disrepair And all of those who say they know And walk the balustrade ＇til dawn You won＇t blink you won＇t yawn Never let your weakness show And though I keep your picture on the wall Unplug the phone in case you call Dust collects upon the sill And still you misplace all your faith in words As though you＇ll ever feel assured If you don＇t know you never will But no I never meant you any harm Suffocating shelter of your arms And if I let you down, it Wasn＇t me, but you who kept me round Linger on, linger on And while your tears fall down his cheek For the fallen, small and meek Look what the invalids compose Well he should＇ve warned you from the start Another callus on the heart Another victim of the throes So sip your cigarettes and tea Be sure you never think of me When your tragedies unload And in case your beauty makes you weep For what you touched but couldn＇t keep For what you had but couldn＇t hold No I never meant you any harm Suffocating shelter of your arms And if you should feel betrayed, it Wasn＇t me, but you who made me stay Linger on, linger on Well I＇ll take your convalescent dreams Patch the wounds, sew the seams And get you ready for the fall But should you miss me when I＇m gone Girl your memory serves you wrong You never needed me at all But you can miss the hollow of my hand And all the lives that we had planned And all the jealousies you sowed But I＇ll take back the youth you can＇t repay All the hours I gave away And all the lies I never told But no I never meant you any harm Suffocating shelter of your arms And if I did you wrong, it Wasn＇t me, but you who wrote this song Linger on, linger on