D
Sometimes broken benches are the only place to sit
                         G
and while our hearts capsized in our chests
                     D                          A
my mom clutched a cell phone and was screaming into it
                         G
tears streaming from the new sunglasses

    D
yea, 17 years of misery and all we've got to show
           G             D
are these hearts divided by
A
weekend visitations and strained family relations
G
thank god we saved our tears till bed time

[Verse 2]
   D
somewhere between ventricles a part of my heart
        G                           D
broken so many times it didn't even hurt that much
          A
when you packed it in an overnight bag along with enough clothes
    G
to last you downtown till you could find a place of your own

     D
but all of that was last February and we're so much warmer now
                   G          D
atleast until the phone rang today
A
your eyes accused and his mouth abused
          G
until you walked out of earshot so my little brother won't be

D
writing songs about it when he gets to be my age
           G                     D
it must be so much harder for him
           A
cuz you're his shining light and while I'm just cynical and sad
G
he's still, so fragile

[Bridge]
(muted)
D
things we said in vain just to salvage peace when we're alone
    G                                                     D
the tears we shed until the pain was dead and this house was finally a home
    A                                                   G
and all along you sang a song with words we never knew
G
yea it hurt so much to harbor but it was what we had to do

D
and I'll go off to college and just try to carry on
    G
and you can't pretend that you wont bend
           D
before you break when we're all gone
           A
my father, shouted explanations for why it all went down the drain
           G
can't hold a candle to the handle

I've gotten to what it's like to break the chains

[Outro]
(strum once)
   D       A        G
of lowered expectations
           D             A        G
and family trees chopped limb from limb
             A
and it's all broken
         A
it's all broken
     D             A                 D
but, atleast now I've got some place to begin

  D    A    G
E|5----5----3----|
B|6----5----3----|
G|6----6----4----|
D|6----7----5----|
A|5----7----5----|
E|-----5----3----|