Gentleman's Pact

I was lost for a while in the mirrored hallway of a high-rise hotel
Umbrella drink in my hand, sitting down
Saw ten thousand me's, numb cocaine teeth in their chatterin' mouths
Thought about home, thought about death, thought about moving south
Rodeo wind blew in, now the candle's out and everyone's scared
Call my broker, sell everything, I want to be prepared
Heard the cavalry cry, my girl for the night, when I entered her
Sounded so fake, always feels fake, finishes, and then it feels worse

But every hallway has a camera
Every hallway has a camera, don't you know?
They never let you open the window
They never let you open the window
Smoke signals of thought
White ribbons of loss
High above the tree line
They cry out

I froze up for a second on the pyramid side of the Las Vegas strip
My brother hunched over in the bushes, gettin' sick
Security knew, took one look and threw us out; life's not fair
I tried to die young with my true love, ended up a millionaire
The mechanical world,
a loud sound you've never heard, that's always there
Radio's trailing through the desert, keep driving until you disappear
We made a gentlemen's pact:
no stopping, no looking back, lace those shoes
Take the first step, take the next step, attaboy; it's never too soon

All that you keep is the journey,
all you keep are the spaces in between
It's not the fresh start or the ending
All that you keep is the journey
Smoke rings round my thoughts
Blue ribbons at dawn
High beyond the tree line
We pass out
Smoke signals of thought
White ribbons of loss
High above the tree line
They cry out