Poison in the Pines

Sixteen years old, packin' a bag in the pale moonlight

The only stars I knew were the holes punched in the drywall at night

They had that Vegas poison, my mama's NOLA soul

A hurricane of parties that was out of their control

The smell of pine needles can't cover up the sick

The opioid lullaby, the rattle in the script

They were lookin' for a feelin' in a chemical lie

And I was lookin' for a reason just to stay alive.

There's a poison in the pines, a sickness in the clay

It gets passed down through the bloodline, come what may

They tell you run from it, they tell you just to pray

But the ghost of that house follows you every day

They had their own demons, yeah, I know the song they sing

But my anxiety's the only heirloom they'd ever bring

And I'm fightin' like hell just to break the damn chain

Tryna wash away the poison in the pourin' rain.

Mama told me "Be strong," but her hands would always shake

There's a limit to the burden that a single back can take

She'd put on that party smile for every friend she'd make

Hidin' all the cracks for goodness sake

But I saw the truth in the quiet after the storm

A house ain't a home when it's never safe or warm

Learned to be my own savior, my own shield from the harm

The day I walked away was the day that I was born.

There's a poison in the pines, a sickness in the clay

It gets passed down through the bloodline, come what may

They tell you run from it, they tell you just to pray

But the ghost of that house follows you every day

They had their own demons, yeah, I know the song they sing

But my anxiety's the only heirloom they'd ever bring

And I'm fightin' like hell just to break the damn chain

Tryna wash away the poison in the pourin' rain.

And some nights I still wake up, heart poundin' in my ears

Feel the phantom echo of all those wasted years

They tell you to be tough, girl, don't you dare show your tears

But strength ain't about the absence, it's about facin' all your fears

It's just a faded memory... a photograph that's gray...

But the poison in the pines... never really goes away.