"mother tongue" lyrics

The street beneath my feet is paved with rows of gold
Or so I'm told

The sky before my eyes is never colour grey
Or so they say

I guess I've known the truth since I was pretty young
That I never knew my mother's mother tongue
I'll fake all of my words till they point out to me
The crowds of purple orchid flowers
I can't see

I'll play along with borrowed chords until they shine
They're still not mine
I'll breathe all of these postcards in until they land
Still second-hand

She gave me half my bones and made me one my lungs
But the same cold air is filling both of them
Meanwhile a crocodile points out what's left behind
The filed of yellow daffodils you tried
But couldn't find

I've known since I was pretty young I
Never knew my mother's mother tongue
I'm putting on a smile made out of plasticine
And looking clean