One Blossom, One Thorn

[Instrumental] [Verse 1] A zephyr said kindness, a gale shouted scorn Two vines on one trellis, one blossom, one thorn My right hand is building what my left hand breaks down A mercy for strangers, a self doubting frown I hold to the notion that I am only good While planting strange seedlings deep into the woods A light that’s so bright it benigns all of the blight A sweet, clever story I tell myself at night [Chorus] Oh, the tune that I hum is a hymn for the numb It’s a right little riddle, a fife and a drum A truth on the left and a truth on the right And I dance in the middle with all of my might It’s whimsical, ain't it? This game that I’ve spun? The lawyer, the judge, but I’m ruling as one It’s only a sparkle, this small contradiction It keeps me from fraying, this dear little fiction. [Instrumental transition] [Verse 2] [Harmony vocals in the background] The room has two doors but they both face the same A loss I call victory, a praise I call blame It’s all just an art-form, a fine dialectic To keep the foundation from looking too hectic My heart is a calyx that holds warring truths One bitter, one sacred, one venal, one couth It’s not dis-honesty, it’s just ambivalence It’s all in the name of my own hypervigilance [Chorus] Oh, the tune that I hum is a hymn for the numb It’s a right little riddle, a fife and a drum A truth on the left and a truth on the right And I dance in the middle with all of my might It’s whimsical, ain't it? This game that I’ve spun? The lawyer, the judge, but I’m ruling as one It’s only a sparkle, this small contradiction It keeps me from fraying, this dear little fiction. [Bridge] [The slow arpeggiation from the intro returns] But the bells keep on tolling a tune underneath The mask is too tight and I’m struggling to breathe This fast, swirling jig is a blur in the dark My self-understanding is losing its spark I’m tired of the dance, I am tired of the lie The luminescence that stings in my eye A compass with two norths just spins in the night Oh, what is the cost of this comfort, this light? [Chorus - full sound with harmony] Oh, the tune that I hum is a hymn for the numb It’s a right little riddle, a fife and a drum A truth on the left and a truth on the right And I dance in the middle with all of my might It’s whimsical, ain't it? This game that I’ve spun? The lawyer, the judge, but I’m ruling as one It’s only a sparkle, this small contradiction It keeps me from fraying, this dear little fiction. [Outro] [Vocals become airy, insubstantial, bells return to prominence] This dear little fiction... It keeps me from fraying... A truth on the left... On the right, I'm betraying...