The Weight Of Empty Chairs lyrics

You coming home for dinner? Hello? Sunday dinner, table set for five Four chairs filled, one stays alive With my name on it, with my ghost in it I smile, chew, swallow, don't show a bit Mom asks how work's been, I say: It's fine Dad nods like he always does, like it's a sign That I'm still the son who got his degree Not the one who stares at ceilings till three But it's not three AM, it's seven PM And I'm here, I'm present, I'm one of them The good one, the stable one, the one who calls back While my brother gets the we worry and the flack I don't blame him, he's fighting out loud I'm fighting in silence, that's allowed That's what they taught me, don't make a scene So I keep it clean, keep it clean, keep it But who sets the table when nobody's home? Who holds the weight when they're all alone? I'm the chair that looks filled from far away Come closer, you'll see, I'm hollow, I'm clay Let me be the empty one, just this once Let the silence win, let the talking stop I don't need saving, I need the room To not be the strong one, to not resume The role, the script, the face they need Let me be broken, let me bleed If You're there, don't make me pray Just sit beside me, don't look away Tuesday morning, conference room, fifth floor I pitch ideas I don't believe anymore They clap, they nod, they say: Great mind While I'm calculating how long till I unwind Lunch break, bathroom stall, hands shaking Not from coffee, from the mask I'm making Smile at the mirror, you're doing great The mirror don't answer, that's my fate I got friends who call me the rock The one they lean on when their world gets shocked But rocks don't lean back, rocks just break Rocks sink slow, rocks don't wake I'm not a rock, I'm not a saint I'm just a voice that learned to faint In slow motion, so nobody sees The collapse, the crack, the silent freeze But who checks the chair that always stays warm? Who asks the quiet one about the storm? I'm the background, I'm the he's fine The fine print nobody takes the time To read Let me be the empty one, just this once Let the silence win, let the talking stop I don't need saving, I need the room To not be the strong one, to not resume The role, the script, the face they need Let me be broken, let me bleed If You're there, don't make me pray Just sit beside me, don't look away (Don't look away) Hey, it's me, I know you don't talk about it But I see you, the chair, the table, the smile You're not fooling anyone, man I'm not asking you to be strong I'm asking you to be here The table's set, but it ain't home without you Not the you, you show them, the you that's breaking Come home, come broken, just come I don't wanna be the empty one I don't wanna be the only one Who knows how heavy a full chair feels When the body's there but nothing's real So if You're there, don't fix me, don't speak Just stay till the morning, till I'm weak Enough to admit I need the light Enough to admit I'm not alright I'm not alright You came