Dar Williams
This Is Not the House That Pain Built
[Verse 1]
My house is hard to find, but I'll give you directions
You can visit sometime, down where all that I built surrounds me
Just make sure your car's got good shocks
There's steep hills, there's potholes, there's rocks
I work in the garden, my son plays around me
Close the gate behind you, there's a horse that can't get out
I will see you first, is that all right?
And can you remember, oh, can you remember?

[Chorus]
This is not the house that pain built
This is not the house that pain built
I was drowning in something, I jumped in the rift
And you knew me back then, when I spat on my gift, but no
(No, no)

[Verse 2]
It's tough and it's tiring when you go it alone
I learned about wiring, I learned about stone
The building is done but the work's never through
And I won't give up, no how
It reminds me of who I am and where I am now
I remember myself, that's the work that I do
On a spring night when the snow is melting
You'll see two sets of footprints walking
Look at all the stars, and turn around, and walk home
Slowly walk home
[Chorus]
This is not the house that pain built
And that is not a house that pain built
My friends all think that I holed up and hid
But I tell them I didn't, you know I don't think I did, no
(No, no)

[Outro]
And this is where I let my pain go
This is where I let my pain go
This is where the footprints dance in the snow (Oh yeah)