Dar Williams
"This Is Not The House That Pain Built"


My house is hard to find, but I'll give you directions, you can visit sometime.
Down where all that I built surrounds me
And just make sure your car's got good shocks.
There's steep hills, there's potholes, there's rocks
I work in the garden, my son plays around me
And close the gate behind you, there's a horse that can't get out
And I will see you first, is that alright?
And can you remember, can you remember?
This is not the house that pain built
This is not the house that pain built
I was drowning in something, I jumped in the rift
And you knew me back then when I spat on my gift, but no

It's tough and it's tiring when you go it alone
I learned about wiring, I learned about stone
The building is done, but the work's never through.
And I won't give up, no how it reminds of who I am and where I am now
I remember myself, that's the work that I do
And on a spring night when the snow is melting
You'll see two sets of footprints walking
And look at all the stars, and turn around
And walk home, slowly walk home
And this is not the house that pain built
This is not a house that pain built
My friends all think that I holed up and hid
But I tell them I didn't, you know, I don't think I did, no
And this is where I let my pain go
This is where I let my pain go
This is where the footprints dance in the snow