Thе Ship of Theseus

I'm just a man
A cobblement of who I've been, who I'll be, and who I am
I've learned many things to forget
And I'm sure that I'll see infinitely more yet

I'm just a man
A culmination of what I do, and say, and think, therefore I am
I've forgotten more than I'll ever know
And I'll forget another dozen more things by
Tomorrow

I'm messy, I'm incomplete
Each mountain I finally climb just reveals another peak
Arrogance, pride, conceit
All synonyms for the same sound that makes up my back-beat

I'm just this version of me
Halfway to 24, half-past 23
The clock will tock, tick, chip me slowly away
Like the ocean washes the rock; tomorrow forgets today

I have awoken from a nightmare
(Oh, can you see?)
Girt by sea
Such an awful dream
I'm just a small, shallow, frail and fragile thing
(Tomorrow forgets today...)
A human being
(...But the tide begets another way)

So, call me what you like
I'll be alright
I'm just a vessel, I'm just a machine
I'm just scrapbook of ill-forgot stories
Lo, sure as it is night
Soon rise the light
I'm just a broken thing
Patched together, stretched at the seams
But beauty is as beauty sees

Eclecticism incarnate
I don't know where I'll end up
And I've forgotten where I started
I think my name's not yet been changed?
It might be the only piece of my identity
That's not yet been exchanged
I'm just a ship
I'm just a man
I'm full of shit
I'm free from reprimand
I'm just a piece
Of a piece
Of a piece of an idea, borne of one of a trillion grains of sand
So, when the next vessel reaches land
Can we both agree to extend a helping hand?

Is it a curse? Is it a blessing?
It creates its own wound, then administers its own fucking dressings
A disinfectant to cleanse itself
A little piece of Heaven to adorn this patchwork Hell
The tide on its own hides thoughts unknown
The secrets the seas held are vast and lone
They collect the steps that we can't retrace
Debase memories of Gods, and Kings, and Saints
The ocean's seen crimes obscene of hate
Least of all, the woes of one reprobate
But the rising sun forgives all mistakes
It seems Artemis is in retrograde
The God of Night will make way for Day

So, call me what you like
I'll ride this tide
I prayed for glory, I made a story
The Gods above, I'm sure, abhor me
Though Poseidon's seldom kind, I'll be alright
"I want a vision of what I'm to be"
The monkey's paw grips my neck tightly

No, time is all we own
So take what you're owed
And though mine is borrowed, I'll make the most of this deadloan
So, call me what you like
I will survive
"It must stay just"
"Free from flaw and rust"
Tell that to Icarus, Narcissus and that fool with with the lotuses
It seems they've forsaken us

I'm just a man, scared and scant, feigning triumphant
I'm just a man in a crash-land, trying to stand
Riding the current
Riding the current
Riding the current
Riding the current
Riding the current