Sketchbooks

I kinda wanna go back
Just to revel in the newfound inspiration that I seem to lack in my modern days
It was a bittersweet saga of a teenage haze

And I’ll find myself staring at my hands.
Remembering the days where I had plans.

They tried to chip me away
Flake off every ounce of self-respect that was left inside of me
Point out every little thing they thought I couldn’t see.

And I’ll catch myself getting carried away with dreams.
Still the stupid little kid who doesn’t know what anything means.

And I’m falling forwards, heading to my end
I’d rather be knee-deep in me than be dead.

Oh god, what’s the point of being on fire when nobody’s burning with you?
And where’s the fun in having fun when there’s so much work to do?
I wanna take everything I know
Erase it clean and start again
Make a blank page, a fresh canvas
And it won’t be real
But it’s damn well better than living for nothing
And all my sketchbooks full of dreams, well, at least they mean something.

I think I kinda fell down
Somewhere in the between of happy and sad and confident in my abilities
I’m still trying to stand, but I’m on my knees.

And they’re catching on, catching me half-dead
When I’m not even smiling inside my head

You’ve gotta do it for yourself!
Keep your feet on the ground and tune out any worthless bit of hate
It’ll take some time, but it’s worth the wait.

And I’ll find myself giving in to fear
Convinced that I should not be here.

And I’m trying to separate the good from the bad
The times in which I tried were the best I ever had.

Oh god, what’s the point of being on fire when nobody’s burning with you?
And where’s the fun in having fun when there’s so much work to do?
I wanna take everything I know
Erase it clean and start again
Make a blank page, a fresh canvas
And it won’t be real
But it’s damn well better than living for nothing
And all my sketchbooks full of dreams, well, at least they mean something.

You’ve gotta do it for yourself
And take on anyone who’s done you wrong, there are better things
Stick around and see what your next days bring

And I think about everything I’ve done
And I wish that I could please everyone

You’ve gotta do it for yourself…

Oh god, what’s the point of being on fire when nobody’s burning with you?
And where’s the fun in having fun when there’s so much work to do?
I wanna take everything I know
Erase it clean and start again
Make a blank page, a fresh canvas
And it won’t be real
But it’s damn well better than living for nothing
And all my sketchbooks full of dreams, well, at least they mean something.
♠ ♠ ♠
I wrote the chorus for this when I was in an awful slump, and whipped up the rest of the lyrics a few days ago when I was really inspired (kind of ironic, eh?).