My Castle

My shovel and pail, they sift through the sand
As I smooth off a roof, painstakingly planned
Each edge and each arc born from my gentle hand
And the tide while it tries, my towers, they still stand

Now my friend needs my time, I'm their beck and call
They need a moat to round off their walls
Though the inside's so warm, they won't let it glow
Then again, what do I know
When a facade's all I show

I glance back at my keep as it fights off the shore
Sharp corners now soft, walls soaked to the floor
Each brick and each bend, now beaten and coarse
And every red flag, their stature's been cut short

Someone else wants a hand, I ask them how so
Patterns on the side, carved out real slow
We tear through the pebbles, it weighs on my mind
To wound something so fine
Sounds a lot like my life

Another look at my fort, it's slouched to a slump
A wet pile of rock, quarters to no one
I would mend what's lost, build myself back up
But a call from behind rips me from my mud

Just one more castle, needs paths from the gates
Stretching out far, maybe seven or eight
I move through the grains but each trail ends too soon
Dead, blocked by a dune
It's a familiar tune

Just leave me be, just let me breathe
Just leave me be, just let me breathe
Just leave me be, just let me breathe
Just leave me be, just let me breathe

I return to my spot, where my opus once lay
No proof of my work, no bump remains
My foot hits my pail in my fit of rage
And I don't feel like taking even one more swing