Smelled the carnal smoke from
it's time they shifted for good
The en campment went up in
Clowns and confidence men,
now they bathe in the creek
Mother said you worked there,
work night shift at the mess
Waited for you to come by the house,
couldn't be bothered I guess
So I went down to the tents,
To see if you'd recognize me,
what you'd say if you did
Defending your lost causes
Well I knew you'd look old,
Looked like you'd wrestled with trouble,
Then I squeezed your shoulder,
said what had never been said
It said the weight will grow down,
to those that summon the dead
Said you can't choose your battles,
they'll choose you for themselves
Said, waste not and die trying,
man can't chase where he fell
Well, I've been simple and
Defending your lost causes
You can't see it in the air,
but you know when it holds you
You can't see it in the air,
but you feel when it holds you
You can't see it in the air,
but you know that it's there
They rolled up all the tents
And the trucks drove from town
The clearance stood still
White dust covered the ground
You'd only manage some words,
but I've proven them true
It's not where things come from,
it's where you've taken them to