Twenty-Three

Lyrics by MC Lars Music by James Bourne & MC Lars I don’t sleep, because sleep is the cousin of death Down the hall, there’s a kid that I know He’s kind of quirky so I say hello He’s so sarcastic but he’s always right Working on those problem sets late into the night Mad magazines sit piled by his bed A million brilliant thoughts going all through his head We bike to class in the autumn rain He tells me that he’s fine but I know he’s in pain Pat I miss you dude it’s so hard to say goodbye In Europe last winter you were tired of the lie Monoxide in the bathroom but the door was locked We were always there for you, you could have called and talked I felt guilty and alone and so sick when I discovered You did it in Berlin, you’d just talked to your mother I guess it was too much, depression disillusion Maybe suicide’s an answer, but it wasn’t the solution CHORUS: And I wish that you hadn’t done it Could have won it and moved on from it And we could have grown old together But instead you’ll always be 23…. 23 We sat together one night on El Camino On the bench by the bus stop hiding from El Nino You told me your secret I just sat there in shock You couldn’t tell your parents, you couldn’t break that lock Cognitive dissonance, trapped in your shell Depression and regression made your life a living hell The pain was too intense, the fence too strong to break So you went to Germany, it was too much to take You came back broken hearted distracted by the dream The worlds collided now, college wasn’t what it seemed You went to back to Berlin to find yourself once more They broke down the door and found you lying on the floor I took the Amtrak up the coast, your mom met me at the station I went to see your house and photos of your graduation We drove to your grave, no tombstone where you lay Your freshmen yearbook’s by your bed and your room’s in disarray CHORUS (vocal samples recorded spring 2003) Lars: Ladies and gentlemen, I want you to meet a good friend of mine This is Patrick Wood! Pat: What’s up Lars? Lars: What’s up Pat? Pat: How you doing man? Lars: Good. What do you think of me having my recording equipment Take up three quarters of our small room in the Kimball dorm? Pat: It’s no problem man, I love you Lars: I love you too Pat Pat: Thanks Lars Lars: Pat Wood! Hey that’s you Pat: (Sarcastic laughter) CHORUS: And I wish that you hadn’t done it Could have won it and moved on from it Now we’ll never grow old together But you’re in my memory, 23… 23 Suicide sucks