Keep The Door Shut

Keep the Door Shut They’re handing out rations In sub-basement three Carl’s got his clipboard Checking names off a sheet They’re singing something holy Under broken escalator glass I can hear the whole room waiting For the bad part to pass We got three cans of peaches And a mattress on the floor A rusted deadbolt shaking When the hallway hits the door Your hair smells like grease And the heat’s been off for days Don’t look at the window Look at me instead They’re marking up the stairwell With names we used to know They’re putting tape on doorways Where the quiet people go If they ask who’s in here Don’t say anything yet Put your hand over the radio And hold your breath Keep the door shut Don’t answer the knock Turn the radio down Let the deadbolt lock They can have the hallway They can have the stairs They can write their little future But they can’t write us there Keep the door shut Keep the light down low If they hear us breathing They’ll say we have to go Hold onto the floor Hold onto the rust Whatever they want Keep the door shut Janet’s at the stairwell With grease on her face Saying anybody hiding Is taking up space They’re voting on a leader Shouting over the wall I can hear the boots Learning names in the hall They think we got water They think we got bread They think if we are quiet We must be almost dead Put your hands in my pockets Keep your feet on mine The world is getting loud But we don’t have to speak They’re turning all the rooms Into numbers on a page They’re asking who can work And who should be afraid If they knock again Don’t move toward the sound Some things only live If no one writes them down Keep the door shut Don’t answer the knock Turn the radio down Let the deadbolt lock They can have the hallway They can have the stairs They can write their little future But they can’t write us there Keep the door shut Keep the light down low If they hear us breathing They’ll say we have to go Hold onto the floor Hold onto the rust Whatever they want Keep the door shut If we let them in They will explain us away Turn your name Into a number on a page They’ll ask us to choose Between the clipboard and the bloom They’ll make this little room Another heavy tomb I don’t care who won the vote I don’t care who holds the key I am staying right here And you are staying with me Keep the door shut Don’t answer the knock Turn the radio down Let the deadbolt lock They can have the hallway They can have the stairs They can write their little future But they can’t write us there Keep the door shut Keep the light down low If they hear us breathing They’ll say we have to go Hold onto the floor Hold onto the rust Whatever they want Keep the door shut