"3rd Shift" lyrics

His mama said, "Stay away
Away from all the darkness
It'll haunt you...
And everything we've ever prayed
Is the only thing that will ever save you"

But it all started, with that little taste
It helped keep him up later at night
Helped keep the truth come back in sight
And when she left him, it dulled the pain
He'd hide the marks under his socks
The doctor said he was in shock from what he'd seen

His mama said, "It's the last time
It's the last time we'll be here to save you
Because you've fucked this up again
And those kids aren't your friends, they use you up"

And now he's standing in the rain
He should have probably hopped the train instead of drove
The sergeant's seen this thing before
Maybe some time behind locked doors will save this kid

But it don't save
And who's to blame?
The truth just keeps him up at night
There was never much inside he liked
The guilty phantoms
Make him insane
He could clean up but why start now?
After all who knows how to start again

If they don't save him, who's to blame?
If he don't save him, who's to blame?
If we don't save him, who's to blame?

His mama said, "Stay away
Away from all the darkness
It'll haunt you...
And everything we've ever prayed
Is the only thing that will ever save you"

But it all started, with that little taste
It helped keep him up later at night
Helped keep the truth come back in sight
And when she left him, it dulled the pain
He'd hide the marks under his socks
The doctor said he was in shock

If we don't save him, who's to blame?
The truth just keeps us up at night
Why can't he see what's there to like?
Do guilty phantoms make us insane?
If we clean it up there's no way out
Time will tell if he makes it out of this alive...