Friends (Standing In the Corner At Another Busted Function)

I went out and saw some friends
But the vibe was strained and off
Something stilted, something different, something missing
I couldn't wait to get back home
And out of that all too familiar zone
Where you're lonely in the presence of another

How they speak so highly of you when you aren't in the room
And they hold you to a standard they don't share
And a delicate reminder of the distance between you
How they only want you when you aren't there

I remember how you looked
When I told you that I needed some help
We were standing in the corner
At another busted function
Your face registered concern
But it was clear that you were somewhere else
You were struggling to conceive of your exhaustion

But you spoke so highly of me
When I wasn't in the room

It's just a part of the landscape
Like the whispers behind your back
Like the dead [?] artefacts
Of some weird, maladaptive love
And I can't believe that I'm still here
Hanging around in your old soundtracks
How every familiar soft attack
Still leaves me paralysed and stung
Like I never saw it happen before