Mandibles
Never Knew the Guy

Chorus:
Once again they file in
Tears welled in their eyes;
Once again we sing the hymns
And Bid the Dead good bye.

Once again I say the prayers
And all they signify;
Once again I’m well aware
I never knew the guy...

Verse 1:
The stories all start
In the very same way
In a nondescript town
On a nondescript day
With the person we all came to share

And then everyone speaks
Of the way that he lived
All the places he went
And the things that he did
And it’s almost like we all were there

Chorus

Verse 2:
That nondescript boy
Went to nondescript school
And he wasn’t a genius,
But he wasn’t a fool,
And fin’lly he got out of town.

And his nondescript dream
Was to change the world,
But he gave it all up
For a nondescript girl
Who ended up just letting him down.

Chorus

Verse 3:
Swearing off love, then,
He turned to the cloth;
Saving many souls
Was his new life’s cause;
Every Sunday morning was the same.

With each passing year
More empty pews
Would sit and listen
To him spread the good news;
He only had himself to blame.

Chorus

Like a ship in the night
My life is tossed
On a sea of mourners
Dressed in black cloth
They only come when faced with death.

I feel like I’m drowning,
Like I lost the light
That once safely guided
Me through the night
I know I’ll soon breathe my last breath.

Final Chorus:
Who is left to file in
With tears welled in their eyes?
Who is left to sing the hymns
And bid dead the dead goodbye?

Who is left to say the prayers
And all they signify?
No one’s left, I’m well aware,
No one ever knew the guy.