Farrar, Straus and Giroux (Sea of Tears)

It was back amongst the living
Your smile was giving me a thrill
Enough to come so close to closing the deal
The steal of a century
A century stolen from our hearts to a house on the hill

But if that is what it takes
If that is what it takes
If that is what it takes
To be a stone, a stone's throw from your throne
No man has ever hung from the rafters of a second home
No man has ever hung from the rafters of a second home

It's true
I needed you more back when I was poor
The wealthy dowager, the patroness, she guessed it
The answer wasn't yes
But her maxims were fine
The ethos that flew about her mind
Like swallows in search of a burned-down bell tower church

But if that is what it takes
If that is what it takes
If that is what it takes
To be a stone, a stone's throw from your throne
No man has ever hung at the temporary age of 24
Both feet on the floor
Listening to the bonafide stasis of sound
The eaves dripping yesterday's ill-timed August rain
If there is such a thing as ill-timed August rain