She never should have rented this apartment in the mortal city
The cold comes though evey crack she puts her hand up to
The radiator’s brokenso she has to use electric heat.
And tonight was the first date with the brother of the guy she worked next to
He lived a couple streets awa
He listenedhe had things to say
She asked him up for dinner sometime
Sometime was tonight
The radio gave updates on the ice storm while she made the dinner
They saidfrom all the talkyou shouldn’t drive or even walk
And this just in — we’re asking everyone to turn off their power
They need it at the hostpital.
She ran around pulling plugsthen she called him up
Maybe now they shouldn’t meethe said that he would brave the streets
She met him at the door with a blanket and a candle
SayingI heard it on the radioI had to turn my power off.
He said you’re not the only onethe streets were dark tonight
It was like another century
With dim lamps and candles lighting up the icy trees and the clouds and a covered moon.
She said what kind of people make a city
Where you can’t see the sky and you can’t feel the ground?
I tell you somethingI have this feeling that this city’s dying
He saidit’s not dying it’s the people who are dying
She saidyes yes I think the people are dying and nobody cares.
We had all this technology our dreams were bold and vague
And then one city got bad plannersone city got the plague.
He asked why did you move here? she saidfor the job
For the job and I’ve been so lonely hereso lonely
There’s no one I can talk toyou know I don’t even know your brother.
He smiled and saidsometimes at night I walk out by the river
The city’s one big townthe water turns it upside down
People found this city because they love other people
They want their secretariesthey want their power lunches.
And think about tonightI heard the same newscast you did
I unplugged everythingI looked out the window
And I think the city heardI watched as one by one the lights went off
So they could give their power to the hospital
They ate in silence while she thought this over
They sat together in a dark room in the mortal city
Shifting in their blankets so they wouldn’t get spaghetti on them.
Then came the awkward moment after dinnerwhat to do
The ice was still fallingthe streets were still dangerous
The cabs were not running and this neighborhood was not the greatest.
They both looked at the space where a couch would’ve been
She felt her stomach sinkshe felt like she could hardly think
She saidI never should have rented this apartment in the mortal city
The cold comes through eve crack I put my hand up to
The radiator doesn’t workI have to use electric heat.
That settled itthey would both sleep in her bed
It was a matter of survival.
She brought out teeshirtssweatshirtssweatpantssockshats
If there was ever any thought of what would happen in that bed tonight
There wa no question now
They could barely move
They were wrapped up like ornaments waiting for another season.
They lay in bedthey listened to the pelting ice
He said my brother’s not a bad guyhe’s just quiet
I wished you liked this city
She saidmaybe I do.
I think I have a special kind of hearing tonight
I hear the neighbors upstairs
I hear my heart beating
I hear one thousand hearts beating at the hospital
And one thousand hearts by their bedsides waiting
Saying that’s my love in the white gown
We are not lost in the mortal city
We are not lost in the mortal city