"Four Years" lyrics

All my friends have gone away
Sailing vessels leaving the bay
For the best four years and the promise of pay
But they don't even know what they're chasing
Greater men have tried and failed

And all this time I thought that I'd stay
As a ghost who would haunt this mountain
And all this time I thought that I'd stay
Alive in the ground digging out my coffin

Time was short on courts and pavement
We knew we had to leave
But did I make the most of every day
And did I give to not receive?
Are there any better words to express the full extent of my grief?
It hits home when you're not home
There's no space to grow
And all this time not much to show

And all this time I thought that I'd stay
As a ghost who would haunt this mountain
Maybe I should hold my tongue
And do my best to live with the stress that's mounting

I never thought a bond was something we lacked
I gotta find another way to keep myself intact

I understand we all went away so we could have the stories to share when we're back
Try to pass the same old shit to get ahead and start your paper stack
I never thought a bond was something we lacked
I guess some of us just needed a change to heal the bones we cracked

It takes four years away from your friends
To make you all forget how much time you spent