Alice In Chains

Hear footsteps creak the floor
The shadows give way
Someone outside the door
Won't let 'em in

Life damaged, gears to grind
A rundown, broke machine
That steals your peace of mind
Before you know, it's gone...

(Lay down, lay...)

Silence burning, hold your tongue
Keep us separate, sullen, dumb

Hiding in a darkness under
Boiling to the surface, stumble, fall

A looking in view, too long on the outside
Desperate plans make sense in a low life

These things I hate in you
Also reflect it seems
Distortion laced with spite
Takes you out of me...

Silence burning, hold your tongue
Keep us separate, sullen, dumb

Hiding in a darkness under
Boiling to the surface something
Crawling on your skin, discomfort
Makes you break and run, stumble, fall

A looking in view, too long on the outside
Desperate plans make sense in a low life

It's why you never tell me whatever's on your mind

A looking in view, too long on the outside
Desperate plans make sense in a low life

It's why you never tell me whatever's on your mind

You tried to kill me off
Surprised, I remain
A scale tips, impossible
Afraid of my own name

And I always paid attention to all the lines you crossed
Forgive this imperfection, it shows, I know
I am the child that lives and cries in the corner
Dies in the corner

Unloved inside your mind

Intent obsolescence
Built into the system
Intent obsolescence
Built into the system

Intent obsolescence
Built into the system
Intent obsolescence
Built into the system

Intent obsolescence
Built into the system
Intent obsolescence
Built into the system

I tried to shake it off
You can't remove this stain
A scale breaks, impossible
Afraid we are the same

And you never paid attention to all the lines I crossed
Forgive this imperfection, it shows, I know
I am the child that lives and cries in the corner
Dies in the corner

Unloved inside your mind
Hides in a corner
Dies in a corner
Unloved inside your mind

Intent obsolescence
Built into the system
Intent obsolescence
Built into the system

Intent obsolescence
Built into the system
Intent obsolescence
Built into the system

Built into the system

Hope, a new beginning
Time, time to start living
Like just before we died

There's no going back
To the place we started from

Hurt, falling through fingers
Trust, trust in the feeling
There's something left inside

There's no going back
To the place we started from

Ah, all secrets known...
Ah, ah, ah, ah

Calm, all wounds are healing
Strong, truth is worth saving
I want to feel alive

There's no going back
To the place we started from

All secrets known
Ah
All secrets known

I don't want to feel no more
it's easy enough to keep calm
imitations are clay

emptiness is all
tomorrow's haunted by your ghost
lay down black gives way to blue
lay down I'll remember you

fading out by the sky
consciously bored in changes
curtains run down the sky

silently sleep on
tomorrow's forcing a goodbye
lay down black gives way to blue
lay down I'll remember you

So I found myself in the sun, oh yeah
A hell of a place to end a run, oh yeah

California, I'm fine
Somebody check my brain

California's all right
Somebody check my brain

Check my brain

I walk these streets, I creep and I fall, oh yeah
When she sang I answered the call, oh yeah

California, I'm fine
Somebody check my brain

California's all right
Somebody check my brain

Ahhhhhhh
Tears that filled my bowl
Ahhhhhhh
Years expended gone

I hung my guns and put 'em away, oh yeah
The trick of the trade, and by the way, oh yeah

California, I'm fine
Somebody check my brain

California's all right
Somebody check my brain

Ahhhhhhh
Tears that filled my bowl
Ahhhhhhh
Years expended gone
Ahhhhhhh
Tears that filled my bowl
Ahhhhhhh
Years expended gone

Check my brain
Check my brain
Check my brain

So young, so brazen, so unholy
I come to you in painted skies
Your broken saint, your ancient story
The living challenge to their lies

Trapped in the cold outside
There ain't no shelter
And they wanna force my hand
Until I...

Take what I wanted and break all the lies
That they feed the fuckin' liars
Smash all the temples and crawl through the rubble
And cry to the fallen

I'm the last of my kind still standing
I'm the last of my kind still standing down the law...

A wolf alone upon the hillside
I live on what they throw away
I go to sleep behind the eight ball
I live to fight for one more day

I'm trapped in the cold outside
There ain't no shelter
They wanna force my hand
'Til I...

Take what I wanted and break all the lies
That they feed the fuckin' liars
Smash all the temples and crawl through the rubble
And cry to the fallen

Last of my kind still standing
Last of my kind still standing

Just another lesson learned
Wear a scar, a bore repeating
Take a simple fateful turn
Opened up to stop the bleeding

Feeling like you never could
Been the disconnected frying
Hit the vein and struck a nerve
Seeing through a self that's blinding

Nowhere to buy in
Most of us hiding
Others are shining

Just another brick you toss
Stone the number one deceiver
Multiply the added cost
Easy to become a believer

Feeling like you never could
Been the disconnected frying
Hit the vein and struck a nerve
Seeing through a self that's blinding

Nowhere to buy in
Most of us hiding
Others are shining

You know when you find it
In your darkest hour, you strike gold
A thought clicks, not the be-all end-all

You know when you find it
In your darkest hour, you strike gold
A thought clicks, not the be-all end-all

Just another lesson learned...

You know when you find it
In your darkest hour, you strike gold
A thought clicks, not the be-all end-all

You know when you find it
In your darkest hour, you strike gold
A thought clicks, not the be-all end-all

Just another lesson learned...
Just another lesson learned...

Give away a love
And then remove another too
Painted words adorn the walls
Echoing untrue
I feel cold...uh huh

Promises abound
You rarely find it to begin
Maybe I'm afraid to let you
All the way in
I guess so...uh huh

I excuse myself
I'm used to my little cell
I amuse myself
In my very own private Hell

Lately I'm beside myself
Pretending, unconcerned
Standing on a corner
Where I threw you on a turn
I'll move on...uh huh

Flowers on a cross remain
Mark an ending scene
Damn it all, if blood you spill
Turn the grass more green
Life is short...uh huh

I excuse myself
I'm used to my little cell
I amuse myself
In my very own private Hell

Here I am again
I feel time is draggin' on
Aren't you getting tired of me?
Whinging, overdrawn

Faceless, blind
Want to take her out again
She's not just mine
Want to take her out again

In a bodiless embrace
Thriving, I have grown
Fickle. changing grip, replaced
Choking, take it all

Faceless, blind
Want to take her out again
She's not just mine
Want to take her out again

Dedicated, true to form
Still the only one
Only guarantee
Continue after I am done

Faceless, blind
Want to take her out again
She's not just mine
Want to take her out again

Run, run 'til you drop
Hide, everyone knows

We all trade in never-befores
Selling out for the score

Pray, squeal when you're caught
Cry, it's not my fault

Time to trade in never-befores
Selling out for the score

It seems you prophesized, all of this would end
Were you burned away when the sun rose again

Hate, long wearing thin
Negative, all you've been

Time to trade in never-befores
Selling out for the score

It seems you prophesized, all of this would end
Were you burned away when the sun rose again

Time to change has come and gone
Watched your fears become your god
It's your decision
It's your decision

Overwhelmed you chose to run
Apathetic to the stunned
It's your decision
It's your decision

You feed the fire that burned us all
When you lied
To feel the pain that spurs you on
Black inside

No one plans to take the path that brings you lower
And here you stand before us all and say it's over
It's over

It might seem an afterthought
Yes it hurts to know you're bought
It's your decision
It's your decision

You feed the fire that burned us all
When you lied
To feel the pain that spurs you on
Black inside

It's your decision
It's your decision

No one plans to take the path that brings you lower
And here you stand before us all and say it's over
It's over

It's over

Dam That River


I broke you in the canyon
I drowned you in the lake
You a snake that I would trample
Only thing I'd not embrace

Oh, you couldn't dam that river
And maybe I don't give a damn anyway
So you couldn't dam that river
And it washed me so far away

I pushed and then you stumbled
I kicked you in the face
You stare at me so hollow
Got to keep that killin' pace

Oh, you couldn't dam that river
And maybe I don't give a damn anyway
So you couldn't dam that river
And it washed me so far away

I burned the place around you
I hit you with a rake
You piss upon my candle
So proving you're a fake

Oh, you couldn't dam that river
And maybe I don't give a damn anyway
So you couldn't dam that river
And it washed me so far away

So I found myself in the sun, oh yeah
A hell of a place to end a run, oh yeah

California, I'm fine
Somebody check my brain

California's all right
Somebody check my brain

Check my brain

I walk these streets, I creep and I fall, oh yeah
When she sang I answered the call, oh yeah

California, I'm fine
Somebody check my brain

California's all right
Somebody check my brain

Ahhhhhhh
Tears that filled my bowl
Ahhhhhhh
Years expended gone

I hung my guns and put 'em away, oh yeah
The trick of the trade, and by the way, oh yeah

California, I'm fine
Somebody check my brain

California's all right
Somebody check my brain

Ahhhhhhh
Tears that filled my bowl
Ahhhhhhh
Years expended gone
Ahhhhhhh
Tears that filled my bowl
Ahhhhhhh
Years expended gone

Check my brain
Check my brain
Check my brain