Old Joy - Test Pattern Lyrics

You can cry for your youth but that skin's been shed
And you can take back all the words that you regret
You can shout out your sins for heaven to hear
But when you wake up from dreaming you'll be standing here

You can peer into the future with a crystal ball
Forecast your great victories, be shocked by your fall
You can chase fools gold with a crowd at your heels
But you'll be naked in your new suit before they make you kneel

You can burn down the dreams of your family
Rebuild your world from the ashes you sweep
You lead yourself through those open doors
But it's your soul that matters when you settle your scores.

And it's late in the night When the stars aren't your friends
And you think maybe you have reached your end
But it's the fate of us all to wonder why
We were put here to live just so we die

I went walking the other day in a foreign land
Same city and country but only me and black men
Not the place they said where both of us live
Just a graveyard of dreams and history's sins

My sister she's not my next of kin
But I know her and love her 'Cause she wears human skin
She's got power in her eyes and strength in her soul
But in this whitewashed man's world she just plays a role

The fools in the throne room are beyond contempt
And no mirror we can face says we're exempt
For misunderstanding the nature of fate
Not likely we'll wake up before it's too late

And it's late in the night When the stars aren't your friends
And you think maybe you have reached your end
But it's the fate of us all to wonder why
We were put here to live just so we die

So go ahead and cry for your youth's end
And take back all the words that you regret
Shout out your sins for heaven to hear
When you wake up from dreaming I'll be waiting here