Chapter Eleven: Cul-De-Sac Colonies
Levi the Poet Lyrics

My king,
Addressing the listener as a beloved ruler.

I want you to know something.
The singer has something important to say.

Something that I always admired most about you.
The singer admires a specific quality in the listener.

No matter how violent the storm, no matter how high the waves, no matter how dark the night, you never let the world get inside of your boat.
The listener has never allowed external forces to overcome them.

You kept living when everyone else was sinking, and this whole life never got a droplet toward pulling you down to the ocean floor.
The listener has persevered through difficult times.

Admittedly, this last bottle has room enough for the last of my heart because I drank the last of it, myself.
The singer has consumed their last vestige of emotions.

Hated it, by the way.
The singer disliked consuming this last remaining emotion.

Seems my father could have picked a vice that tasted better than rubbing alcohol, but hey, he gave me his last flask when he came downstairs to say that he wanted things to have been different, and I believed him.
The artist's father expressed regret and wished that things had been different.

He said he needed to go down with the ship, but he wished that I didn't, and I believed him.
The artist's father expressed a desire for the artist to have a better life than he did.

Listen, the want to die is no longer a foreign thought in my mind.
The artist has thoughts of suicide.

A lot of people want to.
The desire to die is not unique to the singer.

And I could have died without leaving a note behind.
The artist considered dying without leaving behind a suicide note.

A lot of people do.
Many people die without leaving a note behind.

He started slurring about a memory that he must have caught in the musty air, like a dust particle stuck to the glaze over his eyes. "
The father's speech became unintelligible as he recalled a memory.

When you were six years old, I stood inside our home, at a windowsill, and watched you walk back from that boy's house, down the street.
The father recounted a specific memory from the listener's childhood.

I was sick, and went back to bed before I thought you saw me, and when I heard you call out, "Daddy?" I pretended to be asleep.
The father pretended to be asleep when the listener called out to him.

I just didn't have the energy to get up and keep you from believing in the ghosts that you've seen ever since…"
The father withheld comfort from the listener who had seen ghosts.

He finally fixed his gaze, afraid, and said, "Honey, they've been haunting me, but I hope you don't have to see them any longer."
The father expressed a hope that the listener would no longer see ghosts.

If I can give you anything, let it be that I have not bid my farewell from the ocean, but from the moment I waved goodnight after our first victory as body-painted newlyweds in a cul-de-sac colony, looking forward to morning, when our parents would let us sail through the quiet, neighborhood streets, and the dawn would bring us back together again.
The singer does not bid farewell to life at this moment, but rather references a specific happy memory from their past.

We were cowboys or we were indians or we were pilgrims, and none of us ever cared that cowboys didn't come here from England, we were just making our pilgrimage toward the sun, searching for freedom and rewriting history for everyone, but mostly us.
The artist and their friends played imaginary games as children and did not care about the historical accuracy of their pretend roles. They were simply having fun and seeking freedom.

Baby, I'm still playing our game.
The artist longs for the simple, carefree days of their childhood game.

I'm just sailing for the new world alone this time.
The artist is embarking on a new journey alone.

I wish I could come back to tell you what I find, but life has never consulted me before making all of these big decisions, and I stand helpless and hopeless unless the beauty you see in the mystery really points to something.
The singer wishes they could share their new experiences with the listener, but acknowledges that they have no control over their journey and can only hope for a positive outcome.

I wish we could explore this together.
The artist expresses a desire for the listener to join them on their journey.

Let me tell you, to die will be an awfully big adventure, but don't get lost, boy.
The singer references a quote from Peter Pan about the adventure of dying, but encourages the listener not to lose themselves in the process.

I want to talk to one another about it, someday.
The singer and listener will discuss their experiences at a later time.

It's time to say goodbye.
The singer is preparing to say farewell for the last time.

Such a definite word.
The word "goodbye" is a final and definitive concept.

An infinite word.
Despite its finality, the concept of goodbye extends indefinitely into the future.

An intimate word, but it needs to be heard so that you don't have to wonder why the bottles stopped coming.
The listener needs to hear the word "goodbye" in order to understand why the singer will no longer be consuming alcohol.

You need closure to move on.
The listener requires closure in order to move forward.

You can't sink with me.
The listener cannot allow themselves to be consumed by the artist's struggles.

You'll get this after I'm gone.
The listener will come to understand the artist's message after they have passed away.

And I hope that you can use our tree house to love someone else once the tide has finally set you free.
The artist hopes that the listener will find love again in their life.

But don't tell her who you built it for.
The singer asks that the listener not reveal the origins of a special place to any future partners.

Make her believe that she's the reason you put all those hours into protecting the purity of that place.
The artist encourages the listener to create new memories in a special place with a new partner, while keeping the true history of the place to themselves.

I think that, eventually, you'll believe it, too.
The listener will eventually come to believe that they built the tree house for a new partner.

I truly do not know whether time heals all wounds.
The singer is uncertain if time is capable of healing emotional wounds.

It sounds like wishful thinking, but I do know that you can't stop living just because someone else has.
While the idea that time can heal emotional wounds may seem unlikely, it is important for the listener to continue living their life despite struggles.

My love, don't sink.
The artist encourages the listener to continue pushing forward through difficult times.

Don't sink.
The artist reiterates their encouragement for the listener to persevere.

Your Queen
The singer signs off as the listener's beloved ruler.