LYRICS:

[Verse 1] The clock on the microwave is the only thing that glows It’s ten-fifteen on a Tuesday, and everybody knows I’m the guy who’s got it handled, I’m the one who’s doing fine I’ve been letting myself in since nineteen seventy nine No one slamming doors, no one calling out my name Just the blue light of the TV playing some old ball game I’m a master of the silence, I can sit here for an hour But independence is a fruit that’s starting to turn sour.

[Pre-Chorus] Yeah, the routine is a fortress, every brick is in its place But I haven’t seen a ripple on the water of this space And I’m realizing slowly, while I’m staring at the wall That I’ve built a life so sturdy, there’s no room for anyone at all.

[Chorus] So just check in on me, tell me that I’m on your mind Before the drift takes over and I leave the world behind I don’t need a grand parade, I don’t need a helping hand Just a signal through the static in this noisy wastelandPick up the phone, break the stone, so tired I can’t even cry ‘Cause this self-sufficient engine is starting to die.

[Verse 2] I’ve got projects in the garage, I’ve got tools upon the shelfI’ve spent twenty years perfecting how to live within myself But the “shoulder-to-shoulder” buddies, they’re three time zones away And “how ya doing” is a debt that I don’t know how to pay We talk about the weather, or the score from Friday night But we never mention how the dark is leaking through the light I’m waiting for a reason, for an occasion to appear While the seasons keep on turning and I haven’t called in years.

[Chorus] So just check in on me, tell me that I’m on your mind Before the drift takes over and I leave the world behind I don’t need a grand parade, I don’t need a helping hand Just a signal through the static in this noisy wasteland Pick up the phone, break the stone, so tired I can’t even cry ‘Cause this self-sufficient engine is starting to die.

[Bridge] They say it gets easier when you’re sixty or sixty-five But right now at fifty-three, I’m just trying to feel alive It’s the holiday that passes with no real words being said It’s the quiet in the hallway when I’m heading off to bed The wire isn’t broken, it’s just dusty in the shed And I’m starving for a connection that hasn’t yet been fed.

[Verse 3] I’m not broken, I’m not weeping, I’m just standing in the rain Managing a life that’s got a very subtle pain It’s the “Wednesday Waffle” video I never thought to send It’s the courage just to tell a man, “I need a drink, my friend.”

[Pre-Chorus] Yeah, the routine is a fortress, every brick is in its place But I haven’t seen a ripple on the water of this space And I’m realizing slowly, while I’m staring at the wall That I’ve built a life so sturdy, there’s no room for anyone at all.

[Chorus] So just check in on me, tell me that I’m on your mind Before the drift takes over and I leave the world behind I don’t need a grand parade, I don’t need a helping hand Just a signal through the static in this noisy wasteland Pick up the phone, break the stone, so tired I can’t even cry ‘Cause this self-sufficient engine is starting to die.