O Captain!

That Sunday when I came back, you would not believe it Tried to stop from hoping, frightened of the pain Of letting your gate open, only for the demon To rush inside your soul as I left you again But it was all for nothing, 'cause I never came back Just a simulacrum standing in my shoes Missing something vital: memories of laughter Innocence and heartache This is what you lose Darling, I wish I could remember how I felt Before there was a war When I was someone else I swore I wouldn't cry But now I don't know if I even could They took my open eyes and stopped them up with blood Someone's got to stand there, perfect as a pillar Holding down his terror, propping up the wall Watching as the dead tide beats against the boundary Waiting to be drowned by some abhorrent squall O, let me be your captain; trust in me, my brothers Till I leave you lying fallow on the field And those of us who come back: no one meets our eyes now Frightened of the scars so artfully concealed Darling, I wish I could remember how you felt Before there was a war When I was someone else You turn into your hate, as surely as the swelling of the sea I swore to keep you safe But who of us will keep you safe from me? You have to understand: the hero is the one who gives himself His body may return But he is someone else You turn into your hate, as surely as the swelling of the sea I swore to keep you safe But who of us will keep you safe from me?