[The Clock Was Tickin']
[Brandon Flowers]
Teacher had you write a letter , you were 8 years old about the man that you'd become and the positions you'd hold but this was long before you and Jackie Geronimo met in the Prelude park at midnight now when it came to bells and whistles Jackie did not lack and when she kissed on the kisser boy you kissed her back and now you tell her that you love her and she cuts you slack when you drink with your buddies on the weekend.
And the weeks fly by and the years roll on, you spend your whole life dropping nickels in the bucket, waking up at dawn and while Jackie bestowed the joys of finger lickin' the clock up on the wall was tickin'
You got yourself a job cleaning hospital floors, but Jackie had a baby and she had five more,
they pay you just enough to drag your ass to the store to buy bread, milk and Better Homes and Gardens, Jackie flips the pages and she dreams little dreams a cottage in the country built with real wood beams, there's a baby in the bedroom he's starting to scream she holds him though he probably won’t remember
And the weeks fly by and the years roll on, well sometimes dreams are all you got to keep you goin’ when the day gets long, and you gave up so many just to make a livin’ that clock up on the wall was tickin'
Now the kids were all grateful when they left the nest , and Jackie wasn’t perfect but she did her best
You seized the opportunity to get you some rest but you can’t sleep on the count of screaming grandkids, the golden years are meant to leave a gleam in your eye, you’re starting to discover it’s a great big lie , they work you like a dog till you quit or you die but you cant quit ‘cause Jackie needs the benefits.
And the weeks fly by and the years roll on, they say patience is a virtue but the doctor says she don’t have long, and you stood up and tried your damnedest not to listen but that clock up on the wall was tickin'
When they told you to clear the room that’s when it hit you
You watched as a caravan took your sweet heart away
The arguments and fights and money troubles seemed so worthless then
As the kids throw yellow roses on her grave
And the weeks fly by and the years roll on, the house is quiet now and everything inside it seems to know she's gone, and there's a picture of you both 16 years old just kissin’ and that clock up on the wall was tickin'
You always thought you had a chance, but it was somewhere hid
Now you come too the conclusion that you never did
Have a chance, that is
